Year of the Sunflower 2021

 Is there a flower that makes us smile more than the sunflower? I don't think so. For years, area sunflower fields have been the backdrop for family photos, selfies, and pictures of the family dog. I certainly took advantage of their beauty in the fields where they were planted in Baltimore and Harford Counties. 

Love the trees as a backdrop!

2021 is the Year of the Sunflower at the National Garden Bureau. We've known for years that sunflowers are a favorite of our customers and gardeners. Several years ago, 77 varieties were featured in our seed section. We have pared that down a bit, offering the top 30 or so varieties, ranging in height from about 12 inches for varieties like Teddy Bear to The Russian Mammoth Sunflower that may top 15 feet! 

Potted sunflowers growing to about 2 feet

Our growers at our farm greenhouses and other area greenhouses have had sunflowers for years grown as pot crops. Names like SunBuzz, Solsation, Suntastic, and Sunfinity have been our favorites to grow on our porches, patios, and garden borders.  

Our grower John and GM Tim evaluating a new variety

Jen selling our potted Sunfinity Sunflowers

Taller sunflowers, like Titan and Russian Mammoth, should be directly sown into the garden after all danger of frost has passed in the spring, usually by mid-May in our area. The large taproots on these varieties do not like to have their roots disturbed. Shorter varieties can be sown indoors and then transplanted outside. Sow seeds about a 1/2 inch down. Plant in full sun and be careful to water plants during dry periods. 

Sunflowers outside Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburg

Part of our pollinator initiative

We have provided children under the age of 12 with sunflower seeds for years as part of our Pollinator Initiative. Two separate pollinator gardens are present on our property. In addition, we have our signs labeled for pollinators and a beautiful handout about Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies. 

Bee kind

Swallowtail at work

Most of the taller sunflowers produce pollen. Some of the dwarf sunflowers, like SunBuzz, are pollen less to encourage longer blooming times for porch pots and patios. While these sunflowers bloom an incredibly long time, they do not provide anything for our pollinators.  

Some fun facts: 

Sunflowers are heliotropic, meaning they follow the sun. It is fascinating to watch this phenomenon. 

North Dakota grew an astonishing 540,000 acres of sunflowers in 2019.

Sunflowers originated in the Americas; seed tested in Mexico dated as far back as 2,000 years BC.

Russian farmers grew as many as 2 million acres of sunflowers in the early19th century for oil.

Today, Ukraine and Russia lead the world in growing the most sunflowers. 

Sunflowers, a painting by Vincent van Gogh, is among the world's most famous paintings.

Winter sunflowers

Plan now for varieties to plant next spring and summer. Learn more at the National Garden Bureau site about sunflowers and past 'Year of' plants. 

Plant sunflowers and keep smiling!