By Monty Don for MailOnline
Published: | Updated:
Ha! Flowers we have but sun, at least at time of writing, is in noticeably short supply. This summer is shaping up to be remarkably similar to last year, with cold and wet more prevalent in most parts than sun-filled balmy days. But sunflowers are remarkably tough (actually most flowers are tougher than we think – we mollycoddle and fuss far too much over our garden plants) and as long as they are securely staked, will put up with a great deal of wind and rain and still flower with astonishing cheerfulness.
Look up at a sunflower set against a blue sky and it is hard to think of the world as a bad place. Although isolated plants grown in a vegetable garden or alongside a house have a lovely monumentality, I like them best blended into a mixed border, where the colour can work within the prevailing theme and their height becomes an important element in the overall structure.
Monty Don says sunflowers are very tough as long as they are securely staked, will put up with a great deal of wind and rain and still flower with astonishing cheerfulness
I particularly find that the velvety rusts, plum, burnt orange and browns that can be grown now, with varieties like ‘Prado Red’ and ‘Velvet Queen’, add a richness to a border that exceeds any other plant in the late summer. ‘Velvet Queen’ remains my favourite, but then she was the first variety I ever grew. Each flower is not huge, but the size of a good saucer and comes in colours ranging from deep crimson through a burnt orange to brown with golden points of pollen dotted about the centre. However, ‘Prado Red’ is the most reliably and uniformly dark and all the ‘Prado’ series have masses of flowers and are practically pollen free – not an inconsiderable virtue as sunflower pollen stains if you brush against it.
I also like the very pale varieties like ‘Vanilla Ice’, and the perennial sunflower Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’ is a real winner. It will grow vigorously even in poor soils and with its mass of small, lemon coloured daisy flowers is a superb plant for attracting butterflies and bees.
Sunflower season is in full bloom
But I appreciate there are people who believe sunflowers are best when they’re a ‘proper’ sun-like yellow. ‘Russian Giant’ is still one of the best for entertainment value alone, while ‘Prado Yellow’ has all the qualities of its red counterpart and is a good strong gold. ‘Teddy Bear’ is a bit small for my liking – a sunflower lacking in size somehow misses the point – but nevertheless has lovely fluffy flower heads.
The seeds can either be sown direct in early summer (it’s not too late to do so now) or in mid spring in 7.5cm (3in) pots in the greenhouse. Either way, put in two seeds for each position, removing the weaker of them when the stronger is about 5cm (2in) tall.
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It is vital to support them early on with what seems to be a disproportionately solid stake. They grow initially very tall and floppy, and wind or even rain can bend and twist them very easily. It rarely damages the plant but does tend to ruin the effect, as they will respond by twisting towards the sun and go on happily growing with a kink in their necks. When they are fully grown and loaded with fat, sunny flowers they are heavy and the stake comes into its own. A slim bamboo will not do the job.
If you keep removing the fading flowers the plants will produce new blooms to replace them and the absence of drying, dead petals will make the garden seem much fresher. Sunflowers respond to deadheading by providing waves of smaller flowers. ‘Velvet Queen’ is multi-headed, like a great set of candlesticks 1.8m (6ft) tall, but others will produce extra shoots at the junction of leaf and stem.
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