How to Plant and Grow Sensational Sunflowers Helianthus annuus
One of my favorite summer memories comes from the summer of 2012, when I spent six weeks studying Spanish in Spain with my sister. The school regularly took us on trips to popular and historically significant towns and regions in the country.
On one trip to Barcelona from Valencia, we drove past fields of sunflowers.
They were so alluring that the driver stopped the bus and let all the students hop out to take photos of the tall beauties. They filled our hearts with joy, as sunflowers do.
We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
In Spanish, the word for sunflower is girasol, which translates to “a trip around the sun,” or mirasol, which translates to “looks at the sun.”
How lovely is that?
Even if you don’t have the option to travel to Spain right now – oh, how I’d love to go back! – you can grow beautiful sunflowers right in your own yard or garden.
In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know to grow your own joy-inducing Helianthus annuus flowers.
Here’s what’s ahead:
Cultivation and History
Sunflowers are as delicious to eat as they are joyful to look at.
Lots of people love snacking on the seeds. Personally, I love sun butter as a substitute for peanut butter. And the oil from these giant beauties is used in cooking all over the world.
Plus, you’ll often find the seeds in birdseed mixes and suet cakes. The birds love them, too!
The versatile H. annuus is a member of the Asteraceae or daisy family, along with marigolds, asters, and the humble dandelion, to name a few.
Like many other members of the daisy family, sunflowers are heliotropic, meaning the blossoms turn to follow the sun
The website greengrove.cc is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
There is nothing like a big slab of juicy, tasty, meaty… tomato? That’s right, beefsteak tomato plants grow hefty fruits with pink, red, or orange flesh that taste great fresh, and fit perfectly on burgers or sandwiches.While growing beefsteak tomatoes is si
We all know what it’s like to come home from the grocery store and dig into the strawberries only to find them too bland, too tart, or too far gone.And when we get a nice, sweet, juicy batch we inhale them within a
From the gentle heat of a banana pepper to the searing, sinus-clearing pain of a ‘Carolina Reaper,’ there’s a hot pepper for everyone.We link to vendors to help you find relevant
The garden heliotrope, Heliotropium arborescens, is a tender shrubby perennial, or sub-shrub, of the borage family, with clusters of sweetly-scented blossoms in shades of purple, blue, or white.With a backdrop of dark green pleated leaves, plants bear a resembla
I think we can all agree: the world just wouldn’t be the same without garlic.This pungently potent vegetable is delightfully easy to grow. And as a natural pest and fungus
Do you love to grow your own herbs and spices to provide you with unique flavors for recipes and food creations? Try growing your own caraway!We link to vendors to help you find re
Lacking the sharpness of onion or the aromatic spice of garlic, the shallot somehow takes the best of both of those beloved alliums and blends them into one beautiful, sweet yet savory flavor.This unassuming bulb is used in a variety of cuisines around the world.
While its primary common name makes it sound like this plant comes from the Caribbean island, Cuban oregano is a plant known by many other names as well, including Mexican mint, Spanish (or French) thyme, and Indian borage.Here’s the funny thing: Cuban oregano is not true ore
Are you looking for a compact and reliable annual to add some bright splashes of color throughout the garden, even in the cool or shady spots?An old-fashioned charmer, garden lobelia fits th
Get ready to meet a plant that is a true delight to the senses. Scented geraniums taste delicious, smell wonderful, and they look pretty in the garden. They’re truly multi-talented ornamentals.Also called rose geraniums, sweet geraniums, or old f
If you’re the culinarily adventurous type, you’ll probably want to add a diverse assortment of leafy greens to your garden – and if that’s the case, you don’t want to overlook broccoli rabe!While it may be somewhat uncommon fare in Nort