Sunflower -
Helianthus annuus
The large, yellow flowers of the Sunflower are the
perfect metaphor for summer. Beginning as a seed planted in spring, it grows in
leaps and bounds as if racing with time to reach the sky and open its sunny
flower face at the height of summer. As summer winds down, the flower heads
droop, heavy with their crop of ripened seeds. Often the giants of the garden,
sunflowers are planted among tomatoes and peppers and often as a support for
pole beans. But they also look great in flower beds along with hollyhocks,
brown-eyed Susans and Echinacea.
Native to the Americas,
5,000 year old fossils of the sunflower were discovered in Arizona and New
Mexico. Images of sunflowers were found
on temple walls, ceremonial costumes, jewelry and pottery of the Incas and
Aztecs. Archaeologists theorize that the Native Americans domesticated it even
before corn. Seeds were brought to
Europe by the Spanish explorers. It was in Russia that the plants were first
grown for commercial use. Sunflower oil is used for cooking, as fuel, to make
candles, soaps and lotions for the skin. The seeds are used as food for humans
and animals.
The most common sunflower
is the very tall, yellow petaled, dark brown center variety; most often Russian Mammoth. However you can find a
variety to suit your taste and your garden plot. Some are dwarf, others have
large flower heads or multiple branches of smaller ones. Color range from a
pale yellow (almost white) to dark shades of burgundy. Easy to grow,
sunflowers’ only requirements are full sun and adequate water.
A wonderful plant to grow with children, their
excitement and interest will be rewarded by the plant’s rapid growth. A
sunflower plant can be measured each day to check its progress. One gardener
writes of how her children would tie a ribbon on the stem of a sunflower plant
when it got to the same height of the child. Then they would watch as the
ribbon rose higher each day.
Sharon Lovejoy
tells the delightful story of planting a sunflower house in her classic book, Sunflower
Houses. If you have the room you
may want to plant one next spring with your children, grandchildren or
neighbor’s children. Mark out an area large enough to be a play house or at
least large enough for 2 or 3 people to stand in. Remove any grass or weeds
from the perimeter, loosen the soil, sow a tall variety along with morning
glory seeds, alternating them as you place them in the trenches. Be sure to
leave space for an opening to the playhouse. Cover with a half inch of soil and
water every day. When the sunflowers are taller than the tallest person,
suspend twine from the top of the stem of a plant from one corner of the
playhouse to the other and criss-cross them. The morning glories will continue
to grow along these strings creating the “roof”.
If you only have space for
a pot, grow a dwarf variety. You will be rewarded with visits from bumble bees,
butterflies, goldfinches and cardinals. And it is fun to watch as the flower
turns to face the direction of the sun.
It is not too late to
enjoy the sunny faces of this summer flower. Many garden centers sell them in
pots and you can buy them as cut flowers at the farmers’ market. Cut flowers
last about a week. Enjoy them indoors and out. Though the petals fade, the
seeds will continue to ripen. At this point, hang them on a shed, garage, from
a tree limb, secured in a hedge or wherever you will be able to view it from
your house. You will be amazed at how quickly the birds (and squirrels) show up!
Challenge: take a photo of
a child standing next to a giant sunflower plant or of a sunflower with a bee,
butterfly, bird or other visitor on it.
NOTE: This article was written for the
blog 12 Months in View.
