Those lucky enough to have an outdoor space will relish the opportunity to plant certain flowers to make their gardens look as beautiful as possible.
Amongst some of the most popular flowers to plant are sunflowers – and it’s clear to see why. The gorgeous, tall, proud yellow blooms look stunning in a bouquet but even more lovely in your garden, facing the sunshine.
According to Bloom & Wild, sunflowers have positive connotations throughout many cultures. In China, sunflowers symbolise long life, vitality and good luck, and to Native Americans, sunflowers symbolise harvest and provision they share.
Sunflowers are also thought to be spiritual flowers, and Bloom & Wild shares that they are very popular with various religions as they symbolise loyalty and following God or their spiritual guide.
Not to mention that having sunflowers in your garden will bring you happiness, and according to Atelier Ashley Flowers, studies have shown that being in the presence of flowers and plants can improve your mood, energy and relaxation levels, as well as aide in anxiety, depression, stress, and even PTSD.
According to @enviiuk, now is the time to start sowing your sunflower seeds to ensure that they’re in full bloom by the summertime, so you can sit in your garden with friends and show them off.
They share that in March time, you should sow your sunflower seeds but “definitely keep [them] inside for now”.
When it gets to April time, you should “repot” the sunflower seeds that you’ve been keeping inside.
In May, when the weather is really starting to warm up, you should “plant [the sunflowers] in full sun”.
When you do this though, make sure that they’re protected from slugs. You can do this by creating physical barriers around the sunflowers with wool pellets, using natural repellents such as garlic, or setting beer traps around your sunflowers.
In June, you should stake your plants by using a sturdy stake (like a bamboo cane or robust stick) and loosely tie the sunflower stem to it with twine. Then, July, they said “continue to tie in”.
In August, your sunflowers should be fully flowering, and they may have even started blooming around June or July. They may also continue to bloom throughout September, depending on the conditions.
The flowering time can depend on several factors, including when you sow the seed, weather conditions, and availability of food and water, according to Gardners’ world.
The experts recommend that you save your sunflower seeds in September.
But, they reiterate that if you sow those sunflower seeds now, then you’ll have “mega summer blooms,” so what are you waiting for? Get those gardening gloves on now, and get in your green space.