The quintessential summer flower. Sunflowers are fast-growing, cheerful, and generous â with seeds for the birds at the end of the season.
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Sunlight
Full sun, 6â8 hrs
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Water
Moderate, deep watering
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Type
Annual
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Soil
Well-drained, average
Growing Basics
Sunflowers are annuals in Minnesota â frost-tender but fast-growing once the soil warms up.
Sunlight: Full sun (6â8 hours daily). Sunflowers track the sun when young, so try to face them east or south.
Soil: Well-drained, average to fertile soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH.
Transplanting: Plant after your last frost date, once soil has warmed. Sunflowers have taproots, so these plants were grown directly in their sale pots â plant the whole root ball without disturbing the roots. Dig a generously deep hole and set them in carefully.
Watering: Water deeply once or twice a week rather than frequent shallow watering. Deep watering encourages deep roots, which makes plants more stable and drought-tolerant. Once established, sunflowers are quite tough.
Fertilization: A balanced fertilizer at planting time helps. Avoid overfeeding with nitrogen â it promotes leafy growth at the expense of flowers.
Other Tips
Tall varieties (5â10 feet) will need staking in exposed or windy spots, especially after they develop a heavy flower head.
Leave seed heads standing at the end of the season â goldfinches and chickadees go wild for them.
You can also harvest the seeds yourself: wait until the back of the head turns brown, then cut and hang upside down to dry. Toast the seeds with salt for a great snack.
Squirrels love sunflower seeds too â if they're a problem, a hardware cloth cage around the head protects the harvest.
