Sunflower Page

Every April/May I plant sunflower seeds on the south side of the house. I usually plant the seeds before the last frost, even though the seed packaging says otherwise. I always have a fabulous sunflower showing starting in July and lasting through late October, depending on the variety. The sunflowers this year (2001) grew smaller than in previous years. One of my neighbors said the same about her sunflowers.

Sunflowers withstand Wisconsin's unpredictable summer weather, but larger varieties generally need to be staked. I did not have to stake any of the shorter growing varieties.

Photo by Michelle Laycock, July 9, 2000