Ornamental Sunflowers—More than Yellow Colors
My backyard has some surprises. Still somewhat unknown, there are many different colors and even petal patterns in ornamental sunflowers. This is a fun part of being the AgriLife Extension state specialist for farm sunflowers. I get to enjoy sunflowers beyond the field. Here are two of my favorites (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. Examples of ornamental sunflowers defy the assumption that all sunflowers are yellow. The first sunflower, ‘Chianti’, is popular for its maroon color.
Ornamental sunflowers are now somewhat common though many gardeners are still unfamiliar with the different types. Gardeners flower lovers will likely find small packets of mixed colors for sale in the spring at their favorite garden store. These are sunflower types that generally produce one large head (though often with many secondary buds, see below). Sunflowers you buy in pots typically are more bushy in growth and will naturally have many heads rather than one primary head.
Tips for Seeded Ornamental Sunflowers
Most ornamental sunflowers are not genetically pure like the commercial sunflowers farmers grow for oil, confectionary seed, sunflower meats, or dove hunting. Farmer sunflowers are genetically uniform and produce one yellow sunflower per stalk. But ornamental sunflowers are still somewhat close to their wild relatives. Most can still have one large flower per stalk, but they might develop many secondary heads. It is the gardener’s decision whether you would like a large single flower or perhaps a tall bushy plant with a dozen or more blooms per plant. Most gardeners plant sunflowers with the expectation of one large flower.
To enhance ornamental sunflower growth for a larger impressive single flower, growers may need to “pinch” off secondary buds that form in the crotch between the stalk and leaf stem (Fig. 2.). Some secondary buds may also form on the back side of the head. For an individual gardener this may take a few minutes once a week for a few weeks. Removing these secondary buds, which typically produce small flowers, will eliminate this parasitic growth. Nutrients and water resources can be directed to the main flower. This is especially important for cut flowers. If a grower is curious about what a plant will look like with many blooms, then leave some plants unpinched.
When to plant: Most ornamental sunflowers will have a suggested planting range on the seed packet. In general, sunflowers can germinate in cool conditions and tolerate cool temperatures as low as 36°F at night. You can plant them as early as your area’s last average spring freeze date or within 60 days of your first average fall 32°F.
(Fig. 2) Secondary buds on the main sunflower stalk will be colorful but small and colorful but will detract from the large primary bud marked at the top. Pinching these secondary buds off will not injure the plant.
An Array of Sunflower Colors and Petal Patterns!—Online Shopping
The website for a world of ornamental sunflowers:
- Sunflower Selections. Tom Heaton’s life-long hobby in full color. This website is for individual varieties in contrast to the mixes noted above. You can purchase 100 seeds for as little as $6 up to 10,000 seeds or more. http://www.sunflowerselections.com
- Also “Sunflower Steve.” Until recently this company offered individual varieties, but currently is only selling a blend, https://www.sunflowersteveseedco.com/
Your favorite garden catalogs will also have a few varieties of individual sunflowers, but the Sunflower Selections breeding group likely supplies most of the seeds.
Sunflower Photography: In my role as state Extension specialist for sunflower I get a few calls a year from someone asking where they can go to take pictures of sunflower fields. If they call soon enough in the year (May) they may not need to drive far as there are commercial fields in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Additional fields are scattered in south and central Texas to attract dove for hunting. I have answered requests for where a wedding party could take photos in a sunflower field to a high school senior wanting senior pictures.
Tips for sunflower photography. Sunflower imagery is best for photos within 30 to at most 45 minutes after sunrise. The yellow light of the early sun enhances the yellows of sunflower to a vivid glow! Sunflower heads are all facing east in the morning then track the sun throughout the day (nutation, but this stops soon after sunflowers begin initial bloom). Brighter sunlight later in the day bleaches out the vivid yellow of sunflower. Evening pictures before sunset do not find uniform west-facing heads, and the colors don’t seem quite as strong as early morning.
This weekly agronomic Memo for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension County agents was compiled y
Dr. Calvin Trostle, Professor & Extension Agronomist, Lubbock, [email protected]
Permission is granted to AgriLife Extension personnel to use this information as you see fit for Extension education purposes (newsletters, web posting, social media, etc.).