Sunflower is a favorite summer plant to decorate in our garden or balcony to give us its spectacular flowering. The name of the sunflower comes from the fact that its head is constantly turning to the rays of the sun during the day and again, in the morning hours, to the sunrise.

Gorgeous dwarf varieties, huge and delicious edible varieties. Dwarf varieties up to 40 cm in height are suitable for pots and the garden while edible ones that exceed 1 m in height should be planted exclusively in the garden.

The color of the flowers is naturally yellow, but with the help of science, the color of the ornamental sunflowers starts from pale yellow to brown or red. The flowers are ideal for the vase and have a long life. Cut the flowers early in the morning so they are fresh and before putting them in the vase, place their stems in a container of very hot water so that the air can leave the stem of the vase and then the cool water of the vase can reach until the flower and keep it even longer.

As their name implies, they want plenty of direct sunlight to grow. They bloom all summer but will be destroyed by the first cold.

Suitable growth medium for sunflowers, either in the flowerpot or in the garden, is light soil, which should have good drainage. Sunflower is suitable in the dry climate of our Mediterranean climate. Sunflower also wants plenty of direct sunlight to grow and thrive. Finally, note that sunflowers are annual plants that bloom all summer, but will be destroyed by the first winter frosts.

Monarda a wonderful eyecatching plant for your garden

Sunflower care, fertilization, soil, watering

You water sparingly as sunflowers thrive in warm and dry climates like ours, and you always pour the excess water into the pot saucer. In the garden, make sure the soil is well drained. The ideal soil for sunflowers should be light, slightly acidic to alkaline. Lubricate the decorative sunflowers with a universal fertilizer every 15 days. Do not lubricate the edible variety, if necessary use only animal manure.

Plant the seeds as soon as the danger of frost has passed and the temperature rises to about 15 degrees. Sunflower seeds are best planted directly where you want them to grow because they do not like transplanting. Also, as the seeds that germinate produce large shoots it may be difficult to remove them from the container to transplant them. You prefer to plant them in rows, 2-3 seeds together, and as they grow, dilute them by keeping the plant that looks most solid to you.

In the dark center of the flower the seeds grow, as soon as the flower is dry cut and then reap the seeds for the following year. If you do not intend to harvest seeds, cut the flowers as they begin to wither to stimulate the production of new flowers.