It’s easy to grow your own flowers from seed. Here’s beautiful flowers, growing information & seed collections for gifts.
COUNTRY GARDEN SEED SHOP
Helianthus 'Red Sun'
Red Sun Sunflowers are lovely in the garden and brilliant for cut flowers. Each plant is well branched with many long strong stems. Masses of lovely large vibrant maroon-bronze flowers with a dark central disk are produced for weeks on end. They are easy to grow, great for cut flower production and excellent in the garden too.
Unlike some Sunflowers, Red Sun produces pollen and seeds... which is great if you love a garden full of bees, butterflies and birds. Classified as Perfect for Pollinators by the RHS. Allow seedheads to form to provide lots of seeds for your garden birds.
Sow Red Sun Sunflowers in succession for flowers from June to October. For your cut flower patch sow indoors March-April then plant out in May. Sow again when the soil has warmed up outdoors (from May onwards) for a later crop. If you are serious about cut flower production sow a batch of seeds every two weeks.
| Genus | Helianthus |
| Variety | Red Sun |
| Plant Type | Half Hardy Annual. Perfect for Pollinators. Cut Flower |
| Height & Spread | 150cm tall x 45cm wide (5 feet tall x 18 inches wide) |
| Sow Seeds | Sow seeds indoors (at 10-16°C) March-April then plant out in late April and May. Sow outdoors in spring (May) for a later crop of summer flowers. Sow every two weeks for cut flower production. |
| Thin/Plant Out | Allow 45cm (18 inches) between plants. |
| Conditions Required | Sunflowers prefer moist but well drained soil in full sun. Provide sturdy support to prevent damage from wind and heavy rain. Water thoroughly in dry spells. |
| Flower Production | Many long stems with maroon-bronze blooms produced from June to October. Each stem is 60-90cm (2-3 feet) long. Each flower head is 10-15cm/4-5 inches across making them perfect for large bouquets and arrangements. Takes 11-12 weeks from seed to flower. |
| Picking | For cut flowers pick Sunflowers when the first few petals have unfurled. It's best to pick when it's cool, early in the morning or evening, strip most of the leaves from the stem and stand them in deep water for a few hours. Sunflowers have a long vase life, no preservative necessary. |
| Planting Combinations | Sunflowers are some of the most stunning annual flowers you can grow and Red Sun is popular because of their vibrant colour and outstanding performance, especially later in the season. Lovely with Rudbeckia, Dahlias, Nicotiana and other long flowering annuals. |