The Sunflower brightens up your garden with its vibrant colours. They are easy to grow and care for. Sunflowers offer a healthy source of pollen and nectar to bees resulting in improved pollination for growing vegetables and fruit.
May is Sunflower month!
SUNFLOWERS NEED SUN!
They need around 6 hours of direct sunlight. Sunflower seeds can be sown from April to May. Sunflowers grow tall can be blown over therefore try to plant in a spot that is sheltered away from strong winds, against a fence or wall.
“Sunflowers get thirsty – so water regularly (but gently).”
TOP 5 EDIBLE FRIENDS:
- Onions – Great at keeping certain pests away and the smell may put off rabbits and squirrels from munching on other plants.
- Lettuce – This plant enjoys the shade of the sunflower to prevent scorching.
- Peas – The sunflower helps the encouragement to find their way upwards when growing.
- Kale – Love the shade from the sunflower and grows fast.
- Peppers – an upright plant that needs sunlight but the sunflower helps shade them to prevent scorching.
PINCHING OUT SUNFLOWERS
Pinching out is a technique used to encourage new stems to grow on plants. Whether you pinch out your sunflowers will really depend on what you want to do with them when they’re in bloom.
TOP 5 FLOWER FRIENDS:
- Perennial Lobelia – These trailing plants spread and fill in borders to keep the ground moist for sunflowers to enjoy.
- Nasturgens – When grown next to sunflowers they gently curl around the stems and attract butterflies.
- Geraniums – Attract bees and butterflies. They also repel earwigs and beetles that are harmful to plants.
- Marigolds – Easy to grow and attracts ladybugs to sort out black flies.
- Impatience – Love the shade and keep the soil moist for sunflowers to enjoy.
Companion planting is a gardener’s delight. Varieties and species of plants that can grow together is a joy to experiment with.
