Growing Giant Sunflowers

Plants have a great ability to changing the mood of the environment, as can been seen in many movies. If the plants are dark and thick, the mood is usually dark and mysterious. Bright flowers do just the opposite, making the mood happy and cheery.

One of the best plants to bring in this great mood is the sunflower. Sunflowers are great plants that almost seem to be smiling at everyone who passes. The best thing about sunflowers is they are not hard to grow, and you can easily have them in your own garden to make your house brighter and more attractive.

Start growing your sunflowers by choosing what type you want to grow. If you are low on space, try the Teddy Bear Sunflower, which only grows to eighteen inches tall. If you want to impress your neighbors, go with the Kong Sunflower, which can grow ten to fifteen feet high. Between these there are more modest sizes, such as the six-foot Autumn Mix, or the four-foot Italian White. It just depends on what you want and how much space you have.

Start planting your sunflowers after the last frost. Like every other plant, one of the most important things with sunflowers is making sure that they are planted in the right spot. Sunflowers may get their name because they look like a miniature sun, but they also require plenty of sunlight. Make sure to plant them in full sun where they will not be in the shade of other plants or buildings. Remember when you are planting that sunflowers need plenty of space, and should be planted six inches apart from each other, and about an inch deep. Make sure to water well after planting, and keep the area fairly moist until the seeds spout. When the seeds start to sprout, you will want to thin them to one- to one-and-a-half feet apart from each other.

Just following these few tips will help you grow big, beautiful sunflowers. It can make a great family project, and will brighten your lawn like nothing else. As an added bonus, you can get sunflower seeds as a treat. When the flower starts to turn brown, you can cut the head off, with about two inches of stem. Hang this to try in a ventilated area. When dry, rub the seeds loose and soak them overnight in salted water. Drain the water, place the seeds on a baking sheet and roast them at 200 degrees until they dry, or about three hours. Enjoy your snack, and enjoy your sunflowers.