Few things bring to mind an American Fall season quite like Sunflowers…well, maybe pumpkins, but we’re going with Sunflowers on this one. A native plant to America, the Sunflower (Helianthus annus) is an annually blooming plant and can grow to be over 3 meters tall. The Sunflower is well known for exhibiting heliotropism, or following the path of the sun, throughout the day, from east to west. While there are certainly a number of ways to go about getting Sunflowers to decorate with this Fall season, here are some thoughts on what to keep in mind, in case you’ve decided that you want to grow your own.

Plan Ahead to Plant Early
If you want to grow your own Sunflowers, than you had better plan ahead and plan to plant in early Spring. Getting the seeds into the ground by between March and August, with mid-May being an ideal time, is the best way to go, to ensure that you get maximum returns, on the seeds that you plan. Also, make sure you test the soil, where you’ll be planting, well ahead, to make sure that there’s not too much Nitrogen in the soil, but that there is a good amount of Potassium and Phosphorus.

Give Yourself Enough Space
Growing Sunflowers can take up some space, so make sure that you have enough space devoted to the amount of plants that you will be growing. You’ll want to plant each seed, roughly 1 to 2 inches deep, into moist soil, spacing the seeds 12 inches apart, in rows that are spaced between 2 and 2 ½ feet apart. If you’re planning on growing a larger variety of Sunflower, then you may want to give yourself even more space, to allow for the added size.

Managing the Plants
Your Sunflower plants should mature, in roughly 60 to 90 days, at which point they will need to be cut, daily. The best time to cut your Sunflower plants is in either the early morning, or late afternoon. Once you’ve cut your Sunflowers, you’ll want to immerse them in clean buckets, filled with water and a solution of Quick Dip, to open their pores. Refrigerating them within a few hours of cutting, ensures that they will last long, once they are put on display.

Ready by Fall
Depending on when you plant your Sunflowers, they can be ready to be cut, anywhere from September and into October. You can display your Sunflowers in any number of ways, to having them be the center of a large display, to using them as a way to add color and vibrancy, to an existing floral arrangement. If properly managed and prepared before being put into an arrangement, your Sunflowers can maintain their fresh flowers appearance,e for upwards of two weeks.

Just in Case
Ok, so you can see that it’s not really that hard to grow your own beautiful Sunflowers, for your Fall floral arrangements, but what if you don’t have the time, or the green thumb, to grow your own Sunflowers. Well, there are number of places that will offer fresh flowers, this time of year, chief amongst them, being Sunflowers. While there is certainly, a certain satisfaction, in growing your own flowers, if you don’t have the time, or space to do so, there’s certainly nothing wrong with deciding to buy flowers, from your local florist and having them include some fresh Sunflowers for you.

Sunflowers are native, or indigenous to many regions and this includes south Africa. Not many people grow sunflowers in their gardens, but it is quite a common sight, while travelling, to see fields of sunflowers, that farmers have cultivated. Sunflowers are a pretty sight and are often characterized, in childrens’ books, as having a big, happy, smiling face.

This article was originally posted by Steve Papoulakos is the president of Vogue Flowers and has been in the floral industry for over 22 years, offering fresh flowers and flowers online for those looking for quality and experience. He posted to http://freearticalepro.com

Sally Robson is an up and coming, South African internet marketer, with a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet. She and her husband Derek, have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. She also has a passion for gardening.

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