Sunny side up: All about sunflowers

You don’t have to be a gardener or a dove hunter to appreciate the sight of sunflowers. The bright heads are just plain cheerful.

Following are fun facts about these versatile plants.

Sometimes, people think sunflowers were so named because of their appearance, but they are not. Watch a young sunflower follow the sun during the course of the day, starting the day facing east and finishing it admiring the sunset. They were named for this tendency, known botanically as heliotropism.

One of the sites I visited via the internet as I researched this article was the Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita, Kansas. It was there that I learned that the flowers in the disk of the plant grow in a pattern of opposite spirals. I examined my own plants. It was more obvious in some than others, but I was fascinated with the intricacy of each one.

Sunflowers can be annual or perennial. I grow both the native perennial Maximilian sunflower, as well as annual sunflowers neighborhood birds plant in my garden. The annuals bloom earlier, but the Maximilian start in August and bloom prolifically all through the fall. While you can buy short varieties of sunflowers, most are tall enough to be used in the back of the border. 

As you might guess, sunflowers do best in a full sun environment. Water deeply before you plant seeds for the best results.

Doves, quail and turkeys rely on sunflower seeds as an important food source. You can attract a number of song birds (as well as hordes of white wing doves) to your garden with black oil sunflower seeds. They are loved by finches as well.

Butterflies, too, appreciate the sunflower. Those disks provide really nice landing pads. The nectar from sunflowers is especially important in the summer when not as many other flowers are available.

Last, but not least, you can grow sunflowers for human consumption. Choose a confectionary, non-oily variety like Russian Mammoth or Miriam. Findinformation on growing and harvesting these at: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/2011/jun/sunflowers.

Sunflowers have tough, deep root systems that make them desirable as a tool to penetrate hard soils. What a beautiful way to help repair compacted areas or to make future cultivation easier. 

As always, you can contact the Big Country Master Gardener hotline by calling 325-672-6048 or by emailing Bcmg@bcmgtx.org.

Until next time, happy gardening.