Sunflowers

Have you ever seen a field of sunflowers? What a spectacle they present. They are native to North America but can be grown virtually anywhere even in our temperate climate in the UK.Sunflowers are grown throughout Europe too. If you have ever seen the Tour de France snaking past open fields you will have noticed trillions of them gently swaying in the fields forming a fantastic backdrop for all the team colours of the participants. Of course Van Gogh famous painting was conceived when he was resident in the South of France with Gaugin. The Sunflower of Van Gogh fame adorns walls throughout the world. here`s one I`ve done earlier!! Sunflowers are loved by children and schoolteachers too.However they are not as easy to grow as people make out. They do need support and it is necessary to weed out the weaker plants from the seedlings you grow.It is also paramount not to let them dry out or they will wilt and die.So watering every day bis an absolute must once the shoots have peeked out from the soil or compost. They grow quite quickly and are very quick to germinate. Just a couple of weeks and they sprout through the soil/compost. They can be planted outdoors straight into the soil to germinate if you live in a mild climate.If not, grow them in pots on a nice sunny window ledge and plant them out once outside conditions have improved They love a sunny position and lots of water. You will see the leaves visibly wilt as soon as they need water. Did you know there are over 80 varieties ranging from dwarf multi stemmed, which are great in a vase in the house, to 16 foot monsters on a single stem. Sunflowers come in a variety of colours and patterns also. The yellow ones you see are the most common grown by amateurs but you can get dark crimson, earth shades such as terracotta and scarlet. My favourite is called "the Joker". This has two rings of colours the whole circumference of the flower. If you plant them outside be sure to allow enough space between plants. Too close and they compete with each other and produce thinner stems which won`t stand up to the wind if it gets quite strong. Pests such as slugs and snails can be a problem with younger plants but once established the Sunflower has hairy stems which slugs don`t like either to eat or to travel over. Caterpillars can also be a problem but this depends entirely on the location where you live and the variations of the weather in your area. This year in the UK it has been a very wet summer so lots of slugs and snails have resulted.