Sunflowers! They are so cheery and seem to be the flower icon of summer time. Sunflowers are finishing out our little five part series but they definitely deserve their moment in the spotlight! I think sunflowers are probably on everyone’s list of favorites flowers to grow and I can pretty much guarantee that they will always be grown here at The Dairy Barn Flower Farm!
This year I’m growing OVER 22 different varieties! That’s right folks 23 different varieties of sunflowers! I have on my notes to be super critical of my sunflowers varieties this year and narrow down my list for better streamlining of my planing schedule next year but this year I am going to enjoy them all!
Why do I talk about streamlining my sunflower plantings? Because most of the sunflowers I grow for my bouquets aren’t “cut and come again” like many of the other types of flowers I grow
“Cut and Come again flowers are flowers that thrive on being harvested. Each time you cut the plant, it branches out even more and produces more stems and flowers”
They are called “single stem” which means 1 seed, makes 1 stem, which makes 1 flower. They are very useful like that because they grow very uniformly and are much easier to plan when they will be ready for harvest. However, that means they need to be succession planted (more seeds planted at certain timed intervals) so I will have sunflowers all summer long!
Many growers sow every week in the summertime but I’m utilizing different varieties to spread out my sowing time to only once a month, which I feel is a more manageable schedule for me. The Pro Cut series are widely used in the cut flower world, have many beautiful color options, and are the shortest to bloom in my succession going from seed to bloom in only 50-60 days! I follow those up with the Sunrich series that bloom in 60-70 days and finally plant Sunbright which takes a woping 70-80 days to bloom! Each variety brings something beautiful to the table but I am trying to narrow down my favorites. I have several new additions this year that I am excited to try!
In addition to the single stem varieties I also have several “branching” varieties in my lineup this year including the forever favorite “Strawberry Lemonade”! Branching sunflowers can be a hot topic for flower farmers, some think that they are completely useless as a cut flower and just take up valuable growing space. Others appreciate the beauty and variety they bring to the bouquets. I don’t think there really is a right or wrong answer. That is the beauty of flower farming, and life in general, what works for one person may not work for another. I love them and call them “little bits of whimsy” because even though most of them don’t have the long straight stems of the single stem varieties their curvy stems add a special element to my bouquets. If you are not careful and cut them back hard they can turn a giant sunflower jungle (see above picture!) Beautiful and fun but much harder to harvest from!!
Another special trick for sunflowers - you can change the size of the blooms depending on how close together you plant the seeds. This picture of two sunflowers show that perfectly! The flowers pictured are actually the same variety and were planted at the same time but the larger one was at the edge of the bed so it had a little more room to grow, and boy did it grow! I plant mine 4”-6” apart and it gives me the perfect size blooms to fit into my bouquets. Want bigger ones? Try planting 8” apart! How big you can actually get may depend on the variety but if you are looking for a fun flower experiment to try with your kids this summer try planting different distances apart and see the results!
Did you enjoy this series and want some of these varieties in your home this summer? Head over to our bouquet subscription page and find an option that fits your schedule so you can fill your house with fresh local flowers this summer!