Art and flowers go hand-in-hand
Van Gogh's Sunflowers
Like me, my favorite artist, Vincent van Gogh must have loved sunflowers because he painted multiple series of these flowers. During the last year of his life van Gogh wrote, “You know the peony is Jeannis, the hollyhock belongs to Quost, but the sunflower is somewhat my own."
Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) are tall and coarse with tuberous roots and bristly leaves. They can grow to over 16’ in height. However, there are varieties that have been developed for small spaces and containers. Did you know there are about 70 different species of sunflowers?
Raw sunflowers
Sunflowers are heliotropic, which means they turn their flowers to follow the movement of the sun. They prefer to be in direct sunlight 6-8 hours per day.
Most sunflowers are remarkably tough and easy to grow as long as the soil isn’t waterlogged. They are heat and drought-tolerant. They make excellent cut flowers and the birds and bees love them almost as much as we do. I grow mine from seed, which make them an economical plant to use in my landscape.
Smarty Plants Fun Facts
Depending on the variety, they can grow from 15” to 16’
The More You Grow
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, sunflowers are one of the most important oil crops in the world and a valuable food source in many countries. Just one ounce of sunflower seeds contains about 6 grams of protein and 14 grams of oils. The fats are almost entirely unsaturated and the oil is high in linoleic acid. Furthermore, they are a good source of vitamin E.