The Complete Sunflower Guide
Sunflowers are the most reliably joyful flower in existence. Here is everything worth knowing about varieties, care, and how to use them beyond the obvious.
No flower is more reliable in its effect on people. Sunflowers do not try to be subtle. They arrive in a room and change the temperature of it. Their scale, their colour, and their habit of facing toward light all contribute to something that is essentially optimistic, and that optimism is contagious.
Varieties worth knowing
Sunflower care
Making sunflowers last
- Cut stems with a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle: never use scissors which crush the stem
- Remove all leaves below the waterline: this prevents bacterial growth which shortens vase life
- Change the water every two days: sunflowers are thirsty and dirty their water quickly
- Keep away from fruit: ethylene gas from ripening fruit causes sunflowers to droop
- A properly conditioned sunflower will last 10 to 14 days in a vase
- Sunflowers do not require flower food: fresh water changed regularly is sufficient
Using sunflowers beyond the obvious
The obvious use of sunflowers is a large, cheerful bunch in a tall vase. That remains excellent. But sunflowers work in other contexts too. Cut very short and placed in small vessels, they become graphic and bold rather than cottage-garden cheerful. Mixed with dark Velvet Queen or Chocolate Cherry varieties and deep red dahlias, they create a sophisticated autumn palette that has nothing to do with the standard summer bunch. A single stem in a tall bottle of clear glass is quietly elegant.
“A sunflower does not care whether you are having a good day. It is going to be cheerful regardless. This is one of its finest qualities.”
What sunflowers communicate
In the language of flowers, sunflowers symbolise adoration, loyalty, and longevity. The sunflower's habit of following the sun (heliotropism) in its early growth stage made it a symbol of devoted, constant affection. Sending sunflowers to someone says: I think of you with warmth, and often. It is a cheerful message, but not a trivial one.
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