SUNFLOWERS Planting seeds of brightness

Different varieties of sunflowers make great bouquets.
BY REBECCA SLOAN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
With their bright petals and cheery faces that always turn toward the sunshine, it's no wonder sunflowers make us smile.
But besides the beaming presence they bring to the backyard garden, there are oodles of other reasons to fall in love with sunflowers.
For starters, sunflowers are incredibly easy to cultivate and will tolerate droughts and poor soil.
Better yet, in recent years sunflowers have evolved beyond the traditional yellow-headed giants from days of yore as growers have developed new varieties in a bevy of sizes and colors -- everything from creamy white to fiery bronze.
And let's not forget that sunflower seeds are good to eat, something that makes these happy-go-lucky plants appealing to birds as well as human beings.
Tips
To spread a little sunshine in your backyard garden, follow these tips:
* Plant sunflower seeds no deeper than one inch in loosened soil.
* Seed catalogues sell many interesting varieties. If you like lots of color, choose a mixed seed pack.
* The best time to plant is from mid-April to late May. Don't plant too early when the ground is still cold or seeds won't sprout.
* Plant seeds in a place that receives shelter from strong winds. Good choices are along a fence or next to a building.
* Give plants plenty of room by planting seeds 3 to 4 inches apart.
* Spread netting over the planted area to keep sown seeds safe from hungry birds or chipmunks.
* Water plants deeply but don't over water.
* Fertilize sparingly or not at all.
BOUQUETS
Sometimes it's easy to forget that sunflowers make beautiful bouquets. Just ask Pam Simmons, part owner of Turpin Farms, which is a sunflower and grain farm located just outside of Cincinnati.
"The first time we planted a crop of sunflowers, we had the intention of using the seeds to feed the birds, but when people driving past saw the big field of sunflowers, they kept stopping and asking us if they could buy a bouquet," Simmons said.
That was a few years back.
Now Turpin Farms plants fields of sunflowers exclusively for bouquets.
"There's something irresistible about sunflowers. They just make people smile, and everybody loves the way they look in a bouquet. People buy them for all kinds of occasions -- baby showers, anniversaries, birthdays, you name it," Simmons said.
Varieties such as sunbeam, sunrich lemon and velvet queen work especially well in bouquets because they produce multiple branches of blossoms instead of one giant stalk with one big flower.
The best time to cut a sunflower's stem is in the early morning when buds are just starting to open.
DWARVES
And if you thought all sunflowers were tall, think again.
Dwarf varieties such as music box and sundance kid grow knee-high, which means they work well in borders or as potted plants.
Simmons said that if you intend to plant sunflowers in a border, you should remember that a sunflower only blooms for about nine days.
"Some people use them in borders, but I don't because they don't bloom long enough. I prefer to grow dwarf sunflowers as potted plants," she said.
DOUBLE BLOSSOMS
There are even sunflowers that look as fluffy and full as a chrysanthemum. Popular varieties include double shine, teddy bear and Santa Fe.
Simmons said double bloomers are gorgeous.
"If you've never tried them, get a seed packet and plant some this year," she said.
Although double blooming sunflowers don't sport the standard disk that is surrounded by one row of petals, they do have seeds just like the other varieties.
"Their seeds are smaller and not as plentiful," Simmons said.
HOW TO HARVEST
Traditional sunflowers with large heads produce the best seeds.
"Smaller, colored sunflowers do produce seeds, but they are not as large or as tasty as the seeds produced by traditional, large sunflowers such as the California giant," she said.
You know sunflower seeds are ripe when you notice that they've started to dry out.
To harvest seeds, cut the head of the plant and hang it upside down until it has thoroughly dried out.
After the head of the plant has dried, remove seeds by gently rubbing them.
Next, soak seeds overnight in a gallon of water and one cup of salt.
Remove seeds the next day and dry them again in a 250-degree oven for about four or five hours.
Store seeds in an airtight container.
Most sunflowers are annuals, although most will seed themselves for the following year. There are also some perennial sunflowers that spread by producing runners.
XAdditional source: Spring 2001 Gardener's Companion