Make Van Gogh Proud: Grow Some Sunflowers!

Perhaps their brilliant yellow coloring inspired him. Their intricately constructed heads containing 1,000 to 2,000 conjoined individual flowers might have provoked his attention to and eye for detail. Could it have been their sunny disposition, so diametrically opposed to his constant state of melancholy? Whatever the reason, Vincent Van Gogh was inspired to paint twelve canvases displaying their likeness, as well as surrounding himself with the plants for most of his short adult life. The beauty and lush color of the sunflower is undeniable. Their rapid growth and beauty will add depth and majesty to your home garden should you endeavor to grow them.

Sunflowers are indigenous plants to North America having provided food and oil to the continent’s native population for centuries before the first Europeans arrived. Sunflower seeds are used to make the sunflower oil we often use in cooking, are a main ingredient in most commercial birdseed, and are delicious and nutritious for healthier snacking. If you are an avid bird watcher, sunflowers will attract more winged creatures to your yard than ever before, so be forewarned, if you’re not! One of the most fascinating facts about sunflowers is their tracking of the sun, known as heliotropism; if you took a time-lapse photo series of the plants, you would notice their “faces” turn throughout the day to gather the sun’s rays as the sun changes positions across the sky.

As with most flowers, richness of soil is important to a sunflower’s growth, but you will enjoy success with clay-like or sand-like soil as long as it drains well, allowing for no standing water to well within. As “sun” is part of their name, it makes perfect sense that optimum positioning in your yard or garden would allow them to capture all-day sun, as is their want. Sunflowers do best if grown in a pot at first, making it easier for germination as soil temperature can be more easily maintained at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Leaves will appear quickly, and when the second leaves do, make sure to fertilize the pots, keeping them in a sunny spot. After several weeks of fertilizing weekly, the plants should now be large enough to transplant to your garden. Making sure to find a sunny, mostly windless spot, dig a hole for each plant that is one and a half times the size of their pot, while keeping each hole at least a foot from the next. Taking care to keep precious root systems intact, place each flower in its hole and fill with soil, patting it down gently. Water from your hose reel should be applied gently, so regulate the flow as not to displace any of the soil from around each plant. By keeping the soil moist, you will encourage quick growth. Because a sunflower’s cycle is so rapid, you will have fully mature plants within 3 months, and be able to enjoy them as they shoot ever higher. Most plants grow to between eight and twelve feet tall. With care, your sunflowers will last all summer, providing nutrition for your local bird population as well as beauty for your viewing pleasure.

About the author: Jon Bassfarm is an Internet content writer who enjoys researching and writing about many subjects including hose reel, landscaping, and much more.