Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. If I were trying to educate my children by growing sunflowers, I guess I’d plant the pollenless varieties which have a longer vase life and don’t drop yellow pollen on your white table cloth. And until now I ‘ve just picked up seeds based on how pretty the flowers look on the package. But after Danielle Roberts at Sol Flower Farm in Anderson told me that she grows a pollen-producing variety because of its importance for bees – both native and the European honeybee, next year I’ll order from a catalogue that distinguishes between the two. With a bit of planning, I can sow at two week intervals and have sunflowers for months, and still get to choose from an array of colors, oranges, yellows, reds, browns, even green and different heights. And If you’re into caterpillars, three moths use sunflowers as the larval food.
Choosing a Sunflower That's Right for You
