Make a sunflower screen

About sunflowers

Family friendly sunflowers are annual plants, that are easy to grow from seed and bring a burst of sunshine colour to the summer garden. They are also good for attracting wildlife and the seedheads provide winter food for birds.

Sunflowers are not just available in the traditional brilliant gold colouring. There is a whole range of sizes and shades of yellow through to rusty orange. The range of height and colour makes them ideal for using as a summer screen.

What to do

• The best way to make a screen is to choose several varieties that grow to different heights.
• Aim to pick a selection that includes dwarf, those that grow to chest height and several that will tower above you.
• Rather than selecting just traditional yellow flowers, add interest by going for red, cream, purple and multi-coloured varieties.
• Sown outdoors in April, seeds will quickly germinate and by mid-summer you will have a flowering screen that will also provide armfuls of cut flowers for the house.

How to plant

• Choose a site in full sun for your screen and prepare the soil by digging it over well and raking to leave a fine finish.
• Plant seed 1.5cm (0.5in) deep and 45cm (18in) apart.
• To ensure successful germination, sow two seeds in each position and after seedlings appear, remove the weaker of the two and plant elsewhere or discard.
• Sow seeds in rows, with taller varieties at the back, medium varieties in the middle and shorter sunflowers at the front. After sowing, water well.
• Alternatively, sow a single seed in a 7.5cm (3in) pot filled with multipurpose compost. Water and allow to germinate on a light windowsill. Keep damp and plant out when roots appear through the drainage holes at the base of the pot.

Aftercare

• Keep plants well watered to encourage strong growth and mix liquid feed into a watering can once a month.
• Keep an eye out for slugs or snails, which can nibble shoots and leaves and keep the area weed free.
• Short varieties should not need supporting, but taller varieties at the back of the screen will need to be staked with garden canes.

Watch video

In this video Alys Fowler uses tin cans to sow sunflower seeds in mid April.

Five to try

• ‘Little Leo’ – dwarf variety with golden yellow flowers. 45cm (17in)
• ‘Ring of Fire’ – red flowers with yellow tips. 60cm (23in)
• ‘Claret’ – very dark flowers. 120cm (47in)
• ‘Key Lime Pie’ – Cream blooms. 140cm (55in)
• ‘Titan’ – traditional yellow sunflower. 3.6m (12ft)