Songbird/Pollinator Flowers
The Birds & Bees Sunflowers
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Songbird/Pollinator Flowers
The Birds & Bees Sunflowers
EXCLUSIVE – Enhance your garden’s eco-system with these sturdy, 6 to 8 foot tall sunflowers whose golden-yellow petals and chocolate discs seem to literally follow the sun. During blooming season they offer a rich pollen and nectar source for foraging honey bees, native bees and any other garden pollinators. At maturity, these black seeded sunflowers provide particularly oil-rich kernels with somewhat softer shells than others, yielding an abundance of nutritious feasts for birds.
ANNUAL
Spring/summer/fall bloom
Frost tender
EASY TO START OUTDOORS
Plant in full sun in good garden soil when all danger of frost is past and temperatures have reached at least 50°F (10°C) both day and night. Poke seeds into well-worked soil 1 inch deep and 6 inches apart. Press soil firmly over seeds and keep moist as seedlings emerge.
Thin or Transplant: When seedlings are about 3 inches tall, thin them to 12 inches apart with 2 feet between rows, to give growing plants room to establish strong roots and sturdy stalks that won’t blow over.
GROWING NOTES
Keep soil moist and well weeded and protect seedlings from birds at planting time with netting or plastic berry baskets, removing before plants get crowded. For large heads, space seedlings properly 12 inches apart so plants can grow to full size.
HARVEST AND USE
As flowers bloom, bees pollinate the florets in each head and the seeds begin to mature. When the center disk florets have dried up, birds of all sorts will visit to snack on the ripening seed heads.
To harvest for feeding birds in fall and winter: cover heads with paper bags till ripened kernels are plump and hard-shelled, then cut entire heads, let them fully dry. Remove the seeds by hand into a basket, then blow off loose chaff. Store in closed containers to feed as needed.
Plant In |
Sun/Shade |
Planting Depth |
Sow Seeds |
Days To Germinate |
Mature Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
April – June
|
Full sun
|
1 inch deep
|
4 inches apart
|
8 – 10 days
|
6 – 8 feet
|
From Our Gardening Resources
-----TOP CONTENT ABOVE HERE-----
LEFT COLUMN CONTENT BELOW HERE
Articles
How To Grow The Biggest, Tallest Sunflowers
LEFT COLUMN CONTENT ABOVE HERE
RIGHT COLUMN CONTENT BELOW HERE
Videos
Thinning Sunflower Seedlings For Success
Growing Your Carefree Sunflower Garden
RIGHT COLUMN CONTENT ABOVE HERE
Plant In |
Sun/Shade |
Planting Depth |
Sow Seeds |
Days To Germinate |
Mature Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
April – June
|
Full sun
|
1 inch deep
|
4 inches apart
|
8 – 10 days
|
6 – 8 feet
|
Plant In
April – June
|
Sun/Shade
Full sun
|
Planting Depth
1 inch deep
|
Sow Seeds
4 inches apart
|
Days To Germinate
8 – 10 days
|
Mature Height
6 – 8 feet
|
From Our Gardening Resources
-----TOP CONTENT ABOVE HERE-----
LEFT COLUMN CONTENT BELOW HERE
Articles
How To Grow The Biggest, Tallest Sunflowers
LEFT COLUMN CONTENT ABOVE HERE
RIGHT COLUMN CONTENT BELOW HERE
Videos
Thinning Sunflower Seedlings For Success
Growing Your Carefree Sunflower Garden
RIGHT COLUMN CONTENT ABOVE HERE
From Our Gardening Resources
-----TOP CONTENT ABOVE HERE-----
LEFT COLUMN CONTENT BELOW HERE
Articles
How To Grow The Biggest, Tallest Sunflowers
LEFT COLUMN CONTENT ABOVE HERE
RIGHT COLUMN CONTENT BELOW HERE
Videos
Thinning Sunflower Seedlings For Success
Growing Your Carefree Sunflower Garden
RIGHT COLUMN CONTENT ABOVE HERE
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