Types of Sunflowers and Their Characteristics: The Tall, The Dwarves and The Colored
Sunflowers are a real delight in the summer, loyally mimicking the sun with its beautiful bloom. They are extremely popular not only for their interesting apparition and behavior that loves the sun and moves around it, but also for their delicious, nutritious seeds. Let’s have a closer look at:
* A few facts about sunflowers
* Types of giant sunflowers
* What are dwarf sunflowers?
* Colored sunflowers
The sunflower is part of the Helianthus family, and its Greek name means “sun” and “flower.” It is native to North America, but its cultivation has spread worldwide, due to its beauty and the many benefits that people have through its cultivation. The flower arrived in Europe in the 1500s, and it was used extensively for its seeds.
Sunflower is cultivated primarily for its seeds, which are very tasty and used in different dishes such as salads, pieces of bread, meats, and snacks. Each sunflower plant can produce about 1000 seeds per year. Sunflower oil, extracted from its seeds, is very popular for cooking. The sunflower seeds are the fruit of the plant and they are an important source of protein, among others nutrients.
Types of Giant Sunflowers
These sunflower varieties are quite widespread and impress with their height, which can generally reach 12 feet. Some specimens can reach up to 16 feet, and it is mentioned that the record was by a plant with a height of up to 30 feet. These sunflower species are very popular, and they grow very fast. They also require support during growth, so that the stems do not break under the weight of the seeds. There are several varieties of giant sunflower such as:
*Giant Sungold is characterized by fluffy petals and yellow heads. It can grow up to six feet high and does not require much care. It has a beautiful appearance that loves sun and flourishes in moist, humus-rich soils.
*Russian Mammoth is a huge sunflower growing up to 12 feet tall. It loves the sun, grows well in fertile soil, and after the plant has germinated, no special care is needed. It has beautiful flowers from mid to late summer, with bright yellow petals and orange to brown.
*American Giant Hybrid is the most popular variety of sunflowers. It grows fast and can reach to 10 up to 16 feet high. The stems are resistant, specially developed to support the petal corolla. The face of the flower is dark brown, while the petals around it, are a bright yellow. It germinates in spring in one or two weeks and blooms in summer.
*Skyscraper grows up to 12-14 feet. They have flowers of a bright yellow and middle of dark orange. It develops easily from seeds sown about four weeks before the last frost, or once the danger of frost has passed.
What Are Dwarf Sunflowers?
These sunflower varieties are miniatures of the giant sunflower varieties, and they look great in gardens or pots. It requires the same kind of care as the other varieties of the giant sunflower. The only difference is that the stems no longer have to be supported. Here are some examples of dwarf sunflowers:
*Elf sunflowers are the miniature version of the common sunflowers. They grow only up to 14 inches. These sunflowers are grown in pots or flower beds. It also looks good as flowers cut into vases or flower arrangements.
*Teddy bear sunflower have double flowers, reaching heights of only 16 to 24 inches. Apart from seeds, the leaves of this flower are edible; they can be mixed with salads, giving them a beautiful orange color, or they can be used as a special cake decoration.
*Firecracker is a variety of dwarf or semi-dwarf sunflower and is perfect in pots. The flowers are orange-gold and have chocolate brown centers.
*Little Becka is much shorter than other varieties and has one of the most beautiful flowers. The flowers have red-brown faces. The petals have a dark orange shade in the middle, turning red towards the middle part and fading out as orange once again towards the tips. It has several flowers without pollen on its stem.
*Dwarf incredible impresses by the fact that the flowers are the same size as the common ones, but the stems are short. They can be grown, with more care, both outdoors and indoors. The seeds can be sown at any time of the year, and you should be careful with the watering.
These varieties of sunflowers grow to about 5 feet high. The petals are slimmer than the petals from the common sunflower, giving the flowers a daisy appearance. Such varieties stand out through the unexpected coloring, for example, creamy petals with faces of dark chocolate for the Italian White species or dark red for Moulin Rouge species. Here are some more varieties from these incredible colored sunflowers:
*Earthwalker is very easy to grow to reach up to 9 feet, and its flowers are adored by children due to the multitude of colors of petals and their daisy appearance.
*Strawberry blonde impresses with the color of the outer edge of the petals, which starts from a soft cream and fades somewhere between pink and red.
*Sunrich Lime is a pollen-free flower with yellow-lemon petals and darker discs and which can grow up to six to nine feet high.
*Chianti is a special flower due to the color of its petals of a dark, deep, strongly pigmented red. It has stems with branches and many inflorescences. It can grow to 6 to 9 feet high and has no pollen.
Overall, there is more to the sunflower than it meets the eye. They come in a beautiful variety and are relatively easy-to-care-for flowers and plants. They can make a statement in your garden, provide nutritious seeds and oil, and the dwarf varieties can decorate your house.
