Growing Sunflowers: Giants, Cut Flowers & Seed Harvest

Sunflowers – Summer in a Single Picture

Hardly any plant embodies high summer as perfectly as the sunflower. It grows almost by itself, needs little care, and its bright yellow blooms give the whole garden a positive glow.

Variety Overview

Giant sunflowers (height >2 m):

• Classic farmhouse sunflower: up to 3 m, a single huge flower head
• "Mammoth": a seed-saving heirloom, head up to 30 cm across
• Ideal for kids – a competition for the tallest plant!

Cut-flower varieties (height 80–150 cm):

• Multi-headed, long stems, low pollen (no mess on the table)
• "Sunrich Orange", "Vanilla Ice" (creamy white), "Moulin Rouge" (dark red)
• Ideal for vases and bouquets

Double-flowered & color variants:

• Teddy Bear (orange-yellow, double, compact)
• Earthwalker (rust-red-brown, for natural-style gardens)
• ProCut (single stem, ideal for cutting)

Sowing & Planting

• Directly in the bed from mid-May, 2–3 cm deep
• Starting indoors possible from April (individual pots, sunflowers dislike transplanting)
• Spacing: giant varieties 60–80 cm, cut-flower varieties 20–30 cm

Soil: sunny to full sun, nutrient-rich – sunflowers are heavy feeders!

Care

• Protect young plants from slugs
• Stake giant varieties in windy spots
• Water during dry spells – especially during the growth phase

Seed Harvest

Sunflower seeds are ripe when:

• The flower head droops downward
• The petals have fallen off
• The back of the head is golden-brown to brown

Cut off the head, hang it up to dry in a dry spot, and remove the seeds after 2–3 weeks.

Uses:

• Roasted with salt as a snack
• In bread or muesli
• As bird feed in winter
• Saved as seed for next year