Sunflowers, Part II: More about common and not-so-common sunflowers

Part II of a series about sunflowers…

Family: Compositae
Genus: helianthus

Picture courtesy Mary Sorrows Hughes

I read the other day that research scientists are working to extract DNA from very old potato leaves in order to replicate the fungus that caused Ireland’s Great Potato Famine in the 19th century. I say, they could save themselves the trouble and just visit my yard. Surely what they’re looking for can be found among the specimens that have appeared this year as never before. Fungal infestations are everywhere, brought on, I imagine, by the climatic conditions that are perfect for fungi and really, really annoying to their natural enemy: the home gardener.

You can pinch back the seedlings now if you prefer bushy plants and smaller flowers. Slugs are found of sunflower seedlings when they’re young and tender, so be sure to place the bait or slug barrier of your choice around them until they get a foothold. Feeding is not necessary beyond the initial placement of the seed in a bed well amended with organic material. In fact, overfeeding a sunflower—easy to do—can lead to lush foliage at the expense of blooms.

Aphids are sometimes a problem with sunflowers. Catch them early and make their lives difficult by dislodging them with a strong blast of water. Powdery mildew can appear, most often after bloom, when other annuals are beginning to look a bit ratty, too.

You no doubt chose a dwarf variety for this last planting. Dwarf sunflowers, like those cultivated commercially, are more the height of a small dog’s eye rather than elephant-size. If you decide you like the look of sunflowers and the ease of care required, you can start earlier next year. Stagger your plantings at ten-day intervals, placing the tall varieties at the back of the border and working forward through intermediate and finally to dwarf at the front. Plant the tall ones first; they have more growing to do.

In an attempt to have annual sunflowers bloom earlier, some gardeners start them in flats or three-to-a-pot and transplant the seedlings into the garden after they’ve developed their first true leaves. This gardener has tried both methods—seeding in place and transplanting—and the results have never varied. The plants grown from seed in place quickly outstrip the transplanted ones, growing taller more quickly and staying more robust throughout their one-season lives.

Adjectives most often applied to sunflowers, whether annual or perennial, include “tough,” “tolerant,” and “not-for-tidy- gardens.” While that certainly applies to annual sunflowers in the tall class, it’s less applicable to intermediate and dwarf varieties. All have the same large, oval, serrated green leaves, although they are less prominent on the smaller varieties and the entire plant looks…well, more tidy. The flowers can still be five to seven inches in diameter, varying in color from white to pale yellow to deep orange and brick red. They can resemble daisies, or chrysanthemums. All make excellent cut flowers, as do the blooms of most of the perennial sunflowers.

Perennial sunflowers—examples include H. atrorubens ‘Monarch’, to seven feet tall with branching stems and many daisy-like golden flowers; H. salicifolius, with narrow, willow-like leaves and yellow flowers in autumn; and H. augustifolius, also with narrow leaves and a profusion of pale yellow flowers in late summer—can be only marginally hardy here. They can also be invasive, spreading rapidly by underground stems. But if you have an open area in the back of your garden, you might want to try H. ‘Loddon Gold’. This five-foot perennial is covered with three-inch double-form, golden blooms in early autumn. It puts on quite a show. H maximilianii, the native perennial sunflower, rivals ‘Loddon Gold’ for brilliance in an even larger form.

Enjoy your sunflowers. This is about the time when Northwesterners forget that winter ever existed or might, again. The sunflowers in your garden will reflect the real thing that’s finally shining in our skies.