Welcome to the ultimate sunflower growing guide! Many people adore the beauty and majesty of this gorgeous flower, but don’t know quite how easy it is to grow them. If you’ve ever wanted some beautiful yellow flowers in your life and wondered, when do sunflowers bloom? Don’t worry, this guide has got you covered.
The most straight forward answer to this question is, sunflowers bloom in the summer. They bloom three months after being planted, relatively quickly to produce such a magnificent creation. Sunflowers worship and need the sun to thrive.
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Sunflower species & origin:
The scientific name for a sunflower is Helianthus. It’s actually comprised of around 70 different species in the daisy family called Asteraceae. Sunflowers are said to be native to North America.
The sunflower was first grown as a crop by indigenous tribes over 4,500 years ago. The flower was changed over time to be less of a bush and more directed towards single flower blooms that we know today.
When do sunflowers bloom, A guide:
When do sunflowers bloom? Well, first you must first consider the conditions they need in which to thrive. Sunflowers can be eaten, used for art, and the seeds can be replanted. To bloom, though, they need enough healthy living soil, water, and 6-8 hours a day of sunlight.
Plant sunflower seeds 1 inch deep and 6 in. apart in organic soil. Later in this guide I will show you how to harvest seeds from a flower head to replant. Make sure you plant sunflowers in areas where the sun is full, not partial. The more you feed and water your flowers, the bigger they will grow.
When to plant sunflowers:
Typically the sunflowers take about 90 days to mature and bloom. Although, there are many different species of sunflowers so follow along with the growing guidelines. If you can find seeds in your town, it’s always best to support local. If not, you can purchase organic sunflowers here.
Why you should plant sunflowers:
Sunflowers are colorful, bright, and bring joy to the room. They resemble sunshine and tend to make people happy. They also have many beneficial uses, including bringing bees to the garden to pollinate crops. Check out this video for further information on why you should grow sunflowers! To read about how to give sunflowers that you grew as an offering back to Earth and to the bees, click here.
Eating and using sunflower petals, seeds, & stems:
You can eat sunflower petals, or use them to decorate your plate. You can use them in soups or salads, and they taste a little nutty and bittersweet. My favorite way to use them is to enjoy their beauty while they are alive, and then dry the petals. You can see some examples below of how I bottle up the petals. I use them on my altar, and to create art. Make sure they are fully dried before closing the bottle to avoid mold.
You CAN also eat sunflower stems! They taste similar to celery, and you can chop them up and add them to salads. You can also use sunflowers to make vegetable or sunflower oil. The seeds can be eaten and are high in protein. In a one ounce serving of raw or roasted sunflower kernels, there is 5.9 grams of protein.
Click here to read about the many medicinal uses for sunflowers.
Extracting seeds from sunflower for replanting:
Yes! You can absolutely use the seeds from a sunflower bloom to replant and grow more sunflowers. Simply clear away the layer of flower on top, and the seeds will be revealed underneath. Gently remove the seeds to replant. See pictures below.
Planting sunflower seeds you extract from a bloom:
When planting these seeds, it’s helpful to soak them for 24 hours prior to planting. This helps the seed germinate and speeds up the process. Then just repeat the process above, and plant about 1 inch deep.
As always, I hope this was helpful! Let me know in the comments your favorite ways to use sunflowers. They make me so happy.
All my love,