Among the many varieties of flowering plants are flowers similar to sunflowers. All of them belong to the Asteraceae or Asteraceae family. The baskets (inflorescences) of representatives of the family have a round corymb. different shapes.
The peduncles of these plants are complex, that is, what we call a “sunflower flower” is an inflorescence of several dozen flowers adjacent to each other in one receptacle. The bed can be flat, concave or convex.
A sunflower flower resembles a miniature sun
All Compositae plants, similar to small sunflowers, have small, thin tubular flowers in the center of the basket, and reed flowers along its edges, which create a lush corolla.
Tubular flowers are tightly adjacent to each other. It is from them that the seeds grow. The receptacle is immersed in solid foundation- a calyx around which small leaves (bracts) grow, framing the basket. They protect the inflorescence until it has formed and opened.
It cannot be said that the common ancestor of all aster plants was the wild sunflower, once brought by the Spaniards from America, but the similarity of the structure of aster plants with agricultural sunflowers is undeniable.
Venidium (Arktotis)
Venidium inflorescences are colored in the most different colors. The varieties Orange Prince, Amaretto, and Venidium marigold are similar to sunflowers.
Venidium Orange Prince produces large baskets up to 10-12 cm in diameter with bright, orange-yellow and orange reed flowers. The diameter of the Venidium marigold inflorescence is 3.5-4 cm.
The reed flowers of Venidium have the shape of a highly elongated oval. Tubular flowers are black, dark brown. The height of the plant varies from 45 to 70 cm, its bushes are wide and branched. The plant blooms from June to September; it is planted in multi-level flower beds and combined with other aster flowers.
Jerusalem artichoke is a frost-resistant perennial crop grown in the middle zone and in the south. Some gardeners, when asked what the flower is called, will answer that it is an earthen pear. The tubers, which taste like cabbage stalks, turnips or turnips, are eaten.
This plant blooms profusely with small bright yellow inflorescences. Reed flowers of Jerusalem artichoke are bright yellow, tubular flowers are often dark brown. Baskets grow on thin long stems.
The diameter of Jerusalem artichoke inflorescences varies from 2 to 10 cm. The leaves of the plant are elongated, lanceolate. Jerusalem artichoke grows up to 2.5-4 meters in height.
Elecampane - medicinal plant, which is used in herbal medicine. This is a herbaceous bush with long stems and wide with serrated leaves. 3-6 inflorescences and several leaves grow on one stem. The height of the bush, depending on the variety, is 30-70 cm, the diameter of the basket is 4-15 cm.
The inflorescences of elecampane are orange, yellow, light yellow, tubular and reed flowers are painted in the same or different colors. The reed petals are narrow and long, they form one or several rows.
This plant is planted among stones in rockeries and alpine hills.
This annual is characterized by abundant flowering, sanvitalia bushes are strewn with dozens of small flowers from July to October. The color almost completely covers the foliage. The baskets of Sanvitalia are small, their diameter ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 cm.
The marginal (ligulate) petals of the inflorescences are deep yellow, the receptacle of the basket is convex. Tubular flowers of sanvitalia are black with purple or brown tint. There are varieties of sanvitalia with a green core, white or orange corolla.
The branched stems of the flower grow up to 30-60 cm, they bend, giving the bush a spherical shape. The varieties Gold Braid, Solnyshki, and Yellow Sea are similar to small sunflowers.
Rudbeckia hybrid
This plant with large inflorescences vaguely resembles a sunflower or chamomile (varieties Zelenoglazka, Terry Golden, Autumn Flowers, Amber, Marmalade and others). The reed petals of rudbeckia are very bright, yellow, fiery orange and red. The receptacle of the basket is convex, the tubular flowers are brown, purple and lilac. U different varieties The size of the baskets varies from 9 to 17 cm.
In many varieties of hybrid rudbeckia, the corolla petals are two-colored, with longitudinal or transverse stripes.
The stems of rudbeckia grow up to 50-250 cm in height. They are covered with thick colored green color elongated or oval leaves. The flower stems are stable and rigid.
Ornamental sunflowers (helianthus) - similar to sunflowers but not sunflowers - are grown as a crop. Their seeds are not suitable for food or oil production. There are dozens of breeding varieties of this plant.
The color of the reed petals of helianthus can be yellow, white, cream, orange, burgundy, light yellow. The tubular flowers in the center of the basket are yellow, black or brown.
Reed flowers have different shapes and sizes; in some varieties they are rolled into a tube. The diameter of the baskets varies from 5 to 30 cm. Dwarf helianthus grow up to 60 cm, giant helianthus reach 2-3 meters in height.
Calendula inflorescences are simple (with one or two rows of petals), semi-double and double. The color of the corolla is deep orange or light yellow. The reed petals are evenly colored, but in some varieties the color becomes lighter towards the middle. Tubular flowers are orange. They can be painted in a more saturated color than the reed ones.
The leaves of calendula are elongated, lanceolate, light green, the stems of the plant are moderately branched. Flower bushes grow up to 30-60 cm in height. There are large and small varieties of calendula. The size of the inflorescence-baskets varies from 3 to 10 cm in different varieties.
All selection chrysanthemums have single-row or double inflorescences of the most different colors and sizes. These plants are resistant to cold and are pleasing to the eye until frost. Chrysanthemums are planted in flower beds behind low-growing flowering plants.
There are dozens of varieties whose baskets look like small sunflowers. These are chrysanthemums Maiden (Golden ball), Terry (yellow and white), Svemba kars, Mishal and a number of others. The tubular flowers of the basket are often black, yellow or green.
Most varieties of this flower have bare or pubescent stems and jagged green leaves. The height of the flower stalks reaches 40-60 cm.
Cosmea yellow (sulfur yellow)
Two varieties of sulfur-yellow Cosmea are popular among flower growers - Bilbo and Cross Lemon. This is a heat-loving plant that is drought-resistant.
The diameter of the inflorescences of this species is small - 5-7 cm. The reed flowers are colored in rich yellow, sulfur-yellow, orange and red-orange. The tubular flowers in the center of the basket are most often yellow.
Thanks to the lush foliage of Cosmea sulfur-yellow, it completely covers the soil. The leaves of this plant are rugged, pinnate and lanceolate. The Bilbo variety blooms with semi-double orange baskets and grows in height up to 50-80 cm. Lemon Cross is low-growing and reaches 40 cm.
Among the numerous varieties of this plant, Helenium autumn yellow and Helenium Canaria are similar to small sunflowers. The baskets of this plant are single, but more often corymbose, collected in inflorescences. The receptacle is surrounded by reed flowers of reddish, purple, orange, brown and yellow flowers. In the center of the basket, on a strongly convex bed, there are tubular flowers (brown or yellow).
Helenium autumn yellow grows up to 3 meters in height and produces inflorescences measuring 4-6 cm across. Helenium Canaria grows up to 150 cm, its baskets with a diameter of 3.5-5 cm form corymbose apical inflorescences.
Chamomile yellow
Yellow chamomile is also called gooseberry or doronicum. There are several breeding varieties of decorative chamomile of this type.
Both the reed and tubular flowers of this daisy are bright yellow and lemon yellow. The diameter of the inflorescences varies from 4 to 10 cm across.
Glossy dark green leaves grow on the rigid and slightly branched stems of the flower bush; the basal leaves form a rosette. After flowering, the foliage of yellow chamomile does not wither and retains fresh look until the end of summer. The height of dwarf bushes is 20-25 cm. Tall chamomile grows up to 70 cm.
Asters
Asters of non-double varieties are similar in inflorescence structure to sunflowers. This is Andrella super, Matsumoto, Rainbow, Alpine Astra.
Alpine Aster has white or yellowish reed flowers, they also come in pink, red, lilac and purple. The receptacle of the baskets of this variety is raised, but slightly recessed towards the center. The tubular flowers have yellow petals. In the center of the calyx, the flowers are undeveloped and green in color. The diameter of the inflorescence-baskets is 4-6 cm.
Aster Andrella is super similar to the variety described above, but the receptacle of the inflorescence is flatter. The color of the reed flowers of Andrella Super is pink, purple, white, yellowish, the tubular flowers are yellow. The diameter of the basket is 9-10 cm.
There are many more flowers that look like sunflowers. You have met only the most common plants.
Do you want to have a little sun in your flowerbed? Then plant a decorative sunflower.
Helianthus seeds, as this plant is correctly called, came to Russia thanks to Peter I, and they come from Mexico. At first, sunflowers were grown precisely as ornamental plants - they were highly valued for their large and beautiful flowers, capable of turning their “heads” after sun rays. And although these were the most ordinary, as “technical” plants are now called, they aroused the well-deserved admiration of amateurs.
Decorative varieties of the famous oilseed crop appeared relatively recently and quickly gained popularity among gardeners.
The baskets of this extraordinary flower are up to half a meter in diameter, but there are also very small ones - only 10 cm. Unlike an ordinary sunflower, its entire calyx is filled with small flowers, completely covering the brown base. The flower basket is like a crown with multi-colored tubular flowers, the color of which, depending on the variety, can be not only yellow, but also cream, orange, and even white. The shapes of the petals are also very diverse - long, round, twisted or curved.
This plant is an excellent honey plant; insects love to visit it. Therefore, when flowering ends, it forms a large number of seeds that taste no worse than those grown on industrial varieties of sunflower.
Helianthus is very unpretentious, but loves open sunny areas. If the soil is fertile enough, you can not fertilize it at all, or feed it with organic matter at the very beginning of the growing season. But we must remember that next year in the place where sunflowers grew, it will be possible to plant only beans or beans. They deplete the soil so much that even fertilizer cannot immediately improve the situation.
Decorative sunflowers are propagated in the same way as ordinary ones - by sowing seeds directly into the ground, and perennial species - by dividing the bush, which is done in spring and autumn.
Divide the bushes in the second or third year. This not only rejuvenates the plant, but also promotes lush flowering.
For sowing it is advisable to choose sunny place with well-draining soil. Seeds are sown no deeper than 2.5 cm. Sufficient distance must be left between plants, which depends on the size of the selected variety. 
Shoots appear in one or two weeks. And flowering begins after another 75 or 80 days. To ensure flowering continues until frost, most varieties can be sown sequentially, starting in May.
Faded inflorescences should be removed immediately. This will speed up the opening of new buds, and the stems will bend less to the ground.
Sow decorative sunflower it is necessary as early as possible so that it has time to grow and bloom before autumn. But it must be taken into account that all its annual species are very thermophilic and therefore afraid of frost. But there is one trick here: to speed up flowering, you need to remove all the stepsons and small buds that are located under the main central one.
If you want to get abundant and beautiful flowering, in dry weather the sunflower must be watered generously at least once a week. It is also important to protect the plant from the wind, which can simply break the tall, thin stems with heavy flower heads.
In the northern regions perennial varieties Helianthus need additional winter care. If there is not enough snow in winter, they can freeze, so the bushes should be covered.
There are many attractive varieties decorative sunflower. They are great for both garden decoration and cutting. One of the most beautiful is “Teddy Bear”. It is low, no more than a meter, with double flowers, blooms well even in the capricious climate of the north-west. If you plant it at the end of May, it will bloom in last days July, and will delight you until the frosts.
Other interesting varieties of domestic selection:
— The summer resident is a charming, sturdy man no more than 40 cm tall, he looks spectacular both in flower beds and separate groups.
— Red Sun is a tall variety with velvety burgundy inflorescences with a dark center.
— Light of the Moon - huge inflorescences lemon color, up to 45 cm in size; In addition to the central one, the largest, it has a number of lateral inflorescences, which are slightly smaller, but make the plant look like a large bouquet.
Varieties from foreign companies are also popular:
— Giant Single - a two-meter giant with golden petals;
— Ginge Nat (Ginger Nat) - yellow, terry, one and a half meters high;
— Moulin Rouge - velvet, dark burgundy color;
- Vanilla Ice - with a black center and pale yellow edges.
All sunflowers are great for making bouquets. And from tall varieties of decorative sunflowers you can make original screen walls that protect the garden from the wind and prying eyes.
Useful tips, educational articles for summer residents and gardeners. Planting, care, harvesting. Of course, there is a lot of information about flowers, berries, and mushrooms. On the pages of the website "Useful Trava.ru"
Decorative sunflower is becoming an increasingly popular plant in the garden. Decorative varieties of sunflowers with various colors of elegant baskets are now on sale. Among them there are two-three-meter giants and low-growing plants.
Low-growing varieties of sunflowers wonderfully decorate a flowerbed and mixborder. They are good for group plantings, for decorating balconies, suitable for growing in pots, and are also great for cutting.
The flowering of decorative sunflowers is long and abundant – from July to September.
Decorative sunflower sun for the garden
Let's take a trip into the natural world to learn more about these sun lovers.
Sunflower (Helianthus) is a genus of plants belonging to the Asteraceae family. The genus includes about 90 annuals and perennial species. Among them there are many edible (gnawing and oilseed) varieties of sunflower grown to obtain seeds, but their place also belongs to decorative varieties sunflower.
The variety of flowers of decorative sunflowers are very showy in the garden.
Ornamental sunflowers vary significantly depending on the variety:
- flower diameter (5-30 cm);
- stem height (40-300 cm);
- color of the petals (lemon, golden, bright yellow, red, orange, burgundy, brown, etc.).
Numerous attractive varieties decorative sunflowers with exquisite basket-shaped petals, with single, semi-double and double flowers. These varieties are very good for decorating the garden and making bouquets.
Decorative sunflower cultivation
Decorative sunflower is an unpretentious plant, and growing it is not at all difficult. Like all sunflowers, it is light-loving. Decorative sunflowers reproduce by seeds, which are sown directly into the ground in the spring.
For sowing decorative sunflowers, choose a sunny location; it is advisable to allocate an area with well-drained soil for it. We plant the seeds to a depth of 2-2.5 cm.
The distance between plants depends on the variety and the future size determined by this variety. Small plants in group plantings for decorative purposes are usually located at a distance of 30-50 cm from each other. The distance between large and giant plants is 70 cm or more. If the purpose of planting is to create a screen wall of tall sunflowers that protects the garden from the wind, the crops need to be thicker.
If sunflower seeds are planted in fertile garden soil, then the plants do not require fertilizers: decorative sunflowers grow well without any fertilizing. However, I still fertilize sunflowers. Of course, they will take care of themselves, pull everything they can out of the soil - after all, such a giant needs to grow at the expense of something. But then the soil will become impoverished, and next year nothing can be planted in this place. So I fertilize the plants so that I can plant them year after year. For this reason, it is better not to plant them in the flower garden. Decorative sunflowers are good for camouflaging unsightly places on the site - a barn, a fence, a compost heap.
Sunflower is mainly known to gardeners as an annual plant, although there are also perennial varieties.
Perennial sunflowers (giant, ten-petalled and hard) in nature exist in North America, and it was from there that they were brought to Europe. They are winter-hardy, reaching a height of 60 to 250 cm. The flowers of perennial ornamental sunflowers are relatively small and do not exceed 5–9 cm in diameter.
Withdrawn garden varieties with simple, semi-double and double flowers: “Soleil d’Or”, “Major”, “Oktoberfest”, etc.
Decorative sunflower varieties with photos
Sunflower Decorative Raspberry Queen
Sunflower Decorative Raspberry Queen – interesting variety decorative sunflower. It was said about it that this is a new luxurious giant variety. It reaches a height of 1.5-1.8 m and has dense, large velvety inflorescence baskets with a dark brown center and petals of a noble, intense crimson color.
I bought a bag of this variety from Search.
I was expecting sunflowers with approximately the same colors as in the first photo.
As a result, the decorative sunflower flowers turned out to be completely different.
They are less decorative, but have a number of advantages. The plant forms four caps at the top, directed in different directions. They bloom alternately, one sunflower flower fades, and another one forms on the side. Sometimes it begins to form without waiting for the previous one to fade. I immediately removed the flowering baskets. When the upper ones bloomed, new flower stalks emerged from the axils. So they bloomed until they were beaten very coldy end of October. We endured slight frosts calmly, but stood sadly until the sun came out.
Decorative sunflower Teddy Bear
Sunflower Decorative Bear is an annual plant up to 40 cm high. The stems are erect, the flowers are double, bright yellow, up to 15 cm in diameter. The bush is very compact and low. Flowering is very abundant, and until late autumn. It is recommended to sow seeds in April-May directly in open ground. Many gardeners in conditions middle zone In Russia, in mid-April, seedlings are planted in cups, and only when the threat of frost has passed, they are planted in the ground on permanent place. The transplant is tolerated well.
Very interesting, quite low-growing variety, with fluffy, cute, touching flowers. It also grows well in partial shade, although it loves a sunny location.
Looks good in flower beds and does not drown out other plants. However, it requires a lot of space in the flowerbed.
Sunflower Decorative Teddy Bear or Teddy Bear
One of the most beautiful varieties is Teddy Bear or Teddy Bear. It is similar to the Bear cub variety, low, no more than a meter high, with double bright yellow flowers up to 22 cm in diameter, reminiscent of a plush toy. Blooms well even in not very favorable climatic and weather conditions. Flowering occurs in mid-summer and lasts until autumn.
Decorative sunflower Red Sun
The decorative sunflower Red Sun is a bit like the Crimson Queen. A very interesting variety with red-brown flowers, reaching a height of up to 2 m.
Decorative sunflower Vanilla Ice
Decorative sunflower Vanilla Ice
This variety was bred by foreign breeders. It has charming pale yellow single petals, with a dark center contrasting with them.
Decorative sunflower Moulin Rouge
Decorative sunflower Moulin Rouge is also a variety of foreign selection. In this variety of sunflower, the flower is painted in a rich carmine red color, the petals gradually change color along the length, they are lighter at the edges and darker towards the core.
Decorative sunflower ProCut Red Lemon BiColor
And this is another wonderful work of foreign breeders - decorative sunflower ProCut Red Lemon BiColor
This is an amazing two-color sunflower: the inner half of the petal is dark red, and the outer half is light yellow.
The heart of the flower is black.
Decorative sunflower Kong
There is a variety that reaches a height of 5 meters! This is a decorative sunflower Kong. This is one of the tallest sunflowers, has thick stems and wide leaves. Perfect solution for creating decorative fence. A whole jungle grows up in which you can get lost.
Decorative sunflower – bright sunny colors in your garden!
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"Helianthus"
Competition game "Helianthus" (2017)
Dear friends!
In Russia, schoolchildren and kindergarten students from 66 regions took part in it!
All competition tasks were related to the following objects: HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES, FOOD, PETS AND HOUSING.
When completing the tasks, participants had to choose the correct answer from the proposed options and mark its number on a special form. 45 minutes were allotted for work in grades 1–4, and 1 hour 30 minutes in grades 5–11.
The tasks and answers can be found on the page archives of materials for the game-competition "Heliantus", impersonal results are posted on the page results of the game-competition "Heliantus" (2017).
The Russian organizing committee summed up the results. Results tables indicating how many points each student received and what place he took among all participants in his parallel, certificates, and for winners and prize-winners - diplomas and prizes were sent to the regional organizing committees. Regional organizers are also finalizing the transfer of documents and prizes to participating schools.
Email address of the Methodological Commission of the competition: [email protected]
Information on the competition "Helianthus"
Short bedtime stories for young children
Fairy Alla slept peacefully,
The sun was creeping nearby,
And it said in her ear,
How many have not bloomed
Bright, lush flowers!
No one will see them
All the buds are tightly squeezed,
Just bathed in dew...
The flowers are sleeping, the fairy is dozing...
We need to do something urgently!
And that's true! Fairy Alla flew down from a huge flower and began to restore order in the garden. The petals opened, and the fragrant flowers thanked the fairy.
Meanwhile, the sun didn’t give a damn either. It flew up to the flower and grabbed a large drop of dew from there.
But the bright insect had no intention of drinking this moisture.
Proper cultivation of decorative sunflowers from seeds
She had something else on her mind. What exactly, you will find out later. Maybe the sun was preparing some kind of surprise for the fairy Alla?
It really was a surprise!
All the bugs have gone,
Hearing the aroma
They brought gifts in their paws:
Everything is a drop of dew
Bees and bugs carried
And a drop of nectar
They brought it to the fairy!
It turned out to be a full vat!
And we are happy to swim ourselves.
But this is for Alla -
We prepared the font.
- Well, how? - the sun asked slyly. — My insect friends helped me put water and nectar into the barrel. We want you to have a good rest! Otherwise, we are so sad when you just sleep and don’t pay attention to us at all... Better take a swim. This is a wonderful vacation. You will gain flower energy and tirelessly create magic for the joy of us all. Great, isn't it?
Fairy Alla agreed and smiled welcomingly at the sun.
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Short stories at night for children.
Read for free online
Photo flowers sunflowers
Vipadkovo in the store rubbed decorative dormouse on the nasinya and bought it. And the axis of how the fluffy balls blossomed under my windows. I never would have thought that sleepyheads could be like this.
Helianthus (in Latin Helianthus), translated from Greek helios means “sun” and anthos - flower.” Fatherland of this sonny kvitka - Pivnichna America.
Naturally, with the word “dormouse”, the image of agricultural grain crops, and not even flowers for decorating the landscape, comes to mind. However, helianthus has recently become more and more popular as a flower for decorating the garden, decorating flower beds, for masking spores, gardens (in group plantings), as well as for cutting and creating original bouquets.
Decorative dormouse: formi
The most extensive garden forms of dormouse in ornamental gardening:
Decorative dormouse: description
Ornamental dormouse bushes are erect, weakly branched; dwarf ones up to 30 centimeters in height, and giant ones – up to three meters. Sutvitya in large-flowered tall forms with a diameter of up to 30 div. The flowers of these plants come in a wide range of colors: white, cream, traditional yellow, orange, blackish and even violet-burgundy.
Roslina is warm and light-loving. It gives advantage to the good formation of family soil. Water-loving, especially during the cob growth period.
Planting decorative dormouse
The plants are currently hung in a permanent place in a nesting manner at a depth of 2.0-2.5 cm, per 2-3 seedlings, at a height of 35-75 cm depending on the height of the variety. After thinning, remove one plant from each nest.
Kvitne decorative dormouse from the cob of linden to the veresen. If it is necessary to reduce the height of tall varieties, pinch the top of the central stem at a height of one meter. This allows for rapid fertilization and the growth of a large number of stalks with more different flowers, and the bush takes on a compact shape. The similarity of the present day is preserved over the course of three or four years.
This is an annual herbaceous plant with wonderful “sunny” flowers will decorate any garden plot. How many gardeners know that the sunflower we are used to belongs to a species that has more than 150 decorative varieties?
Seeds were also brought from the Mexican expedition of Christopher Columbus to Europe. unusual plant, which was later named after the shape of the flower - Helianthus (from the Greek “helios” - sun and “anthos” - flower).
Then, in the 16th century, the plant aroused genuine admiration for its unusual shape flowers: paintings and poems - artists captured the beauty of this culture in their works.
The sunny flower came to Russia thanks to Peter the Great: he brought seeds and ordered domestic gardeners to grow an unusual crop. Exactly how ornamental plant then the sunflower spread, which is now used in agriculture. But varieties for flower beds were bred by breeders much later: new varieties are still appearing, differing in height, size of inflorescences, their shade and number.
Description of the species
Helianthus is a herbaceous plant that is grown all over the world: in South and North America, Europe, Japan and even Africa. Decorative sunflowers are included in bouquets, used in landscape design and grown as potted flowers on a windowsill. And the residents of Austria fell in love with the sunny flower so much that they even opened the “Sunflower Park”, where all possible wild and selected varieties of this crop are collected.
Today, the species is usually divided into 2 subspecies:
- sowing sunflower;
- decorative sunflower.
There are both annual and perennial varieties.
Many varieties of helianthus look so that it is even difficult to associate them with their ancestor - the now agricultural sunflower, from the seeds of which the oil beloved in every family is obtained.
- Color. The color of helianthus flowers can be very diverse: white, cream, apricot, orange, burgundy, lemon, brown and, of course, yellow.
- The flower shape is simple, as well as semi-double and even double.
- Petal shape: round, long, rolled into a tube, curved.
- The diameter of flowers of different varieties can be from 5 to 30 cm.
- The height of the plant stem. Conventionally, plants are divided into 3 groups according to height:
- giant varieties reaching 2-3 m in height (“Russian Giant”, “Tall Single”, “Yellow Giant”, “Titan”, “Russian Mammoth”, “Bismarcianus”);
- medium-sized varieties, the height of which is from 1 to 1.5 m;
- compact varieties, up to 60 cm high (“Teddy Bear”, “Pacino”, “Music Box”, “Sunny Bunny”).
All varieties have a delicate aroma and are honey plants.
Varieties of decorative sunflowers
We will not list all varieties known today. We will only talk about the most popular of them:
- “Teddy Bear” - this variety is very much loved by gardeners in our country. annual plant does not exceed 1 m in height; in mid-summer it blooms with large (22 cm in diameter) double flowers, the color of which is bright yellow. Flowering continues until autumn.
- “Red Sun” - a variety bred by domestic breeders, has gained popularity all over the world. Has red-brown petals, a long period flowering, and can reach 2 m in height.
- “Vanilla Ice” is a famous variety grown for cutting. The flowers are single and vanilla in color.
- "Moulin Rouge" - has unusual coloring: Burgundy-red petals become lighter towards the edges and darker towards the middle of the flower.
- "Kong" is the tallest decorative sunflower - height adult culture 5 m. Often at personal plots planted to create a hedge.
- "ProCut Red Lemon BiColor" - has inflorescences of two shades: the inner part of the petals is red, the outer part is soft yellow, and the core of the flower is black.
- "Pacino" - very small plant with expressive bright yellow flowers.
- "Big Smile" is a low-growing variety (maximum 30 cm) with yellow flowers with a black center.
- Sunspot is amazing dwarf variety with huge flowers (20-25 cm in diameter).
- “Music Box” is a variety characterized by a large number of flowers on one plant.
Planting helianthus in the garden
The very name of the sunny flower suggests that it likes to grow in well-lit areas. Choose a site for the plant with fertile soil so that there is no need to fertilize during the growing season. The plant will feel better if the planting site is protected from sharp gusts of wind, which can break its fragile stem.
Decorative annual sunflowers are planted from seeds. Preparing seed material is very simple:
- dissolve wood ash in 0.5 liters of warm water;
- soak a piece of fabric with the resulting solution;
- wrap sunflower seeds in cloth;
- leave for a day;
- if the fabric dries out, moisten it with the same solution.
Seeds need to be planted in the soil to a depth of no more than 3 cm. It is very important to think through the planting scheme of the crop: if the variety is compact, then 30-40 cm between plants will be enough, and if large, then at least 70 cm.
The first plants can be planted in early May and shoots will appear within a week after planting. Flowering will begin in July and last until the end of September. Some gardeners, in order to extend the flowering period of the flower bed, plant plants in groups with a short time interval (about 2 weeks) throughout the summer.
Decorative sunflower: plant care
Sunny flowers are unpretentious in care. They need:
- watering as the soil dries (it is important not to allow water to stagnate) - at least once a week;
- loosening the soil;
- removing weeds.
As flowering begins, the flower baskets should be cut off without waiting for the seeds to form - this will stimulate the plant to form new buds and resume the flowering cycle. In addition, removing faded inflorescences will help maintain the decorative appearance of your garden.
If you want to remove the plant completely, then simply cut it off at the root: by digging up one bush, you can inadvertently damage the delicate roots of neighboring, still actively flowering crops.
How to grow decorative sunflowers at home: instructions
At any time of the year, a bright sunny flower will delight you, sitting on the windowsill in warm apartment. The growing process is so simple that many parents are happy to entrust it to their children, who watch the development of the culture with great interest.
So, the first thing to do is to choose an interesting variety by going to the nearest garden center. The main thing is not to forget that for home grown Dwarf varieties are more suitable.
Container selection
To plant a decorative sunflower, purchase a standard container for flowers, taking into account the height of the future sunny flower and the number of plants you are going to plant:
- a pot that is too small will soon become too small for the plant and will have to be replanted, but the crop does not tolerate replanting well - so it is not worth doing this;
- if the variety is dwarf, a pot with a diameter of 30-40 cm will be optimal for planting;
- if you have a special balcony flower box, it is perfect for planting several sunflowers at once;
- if you still want to plant a medium-sized sunflower in an apartment (height up to 1.5 m), you will need a large box (from 18 liters), for example, one in which vegetables are transported.
Soil for sunflowers
Disinfect the pot before planting to prevent the development of diseases in the plant. Provide a stand to drain water under the bottom.
Be sure to provide drainage - place pebbles (pebbles, gravel) or pieces of polystyrene foam on the bottom of the planting container. Fill the soil mixture on top of the drainage layer ( universal primer for flowers). There should be enough soil so that there is still 2-2.5 cm left to the top of the container. Water the soil well.
- You can add special crystals to the soil mixture that retain moisture - this will help maintain an optimal moisture balance;
- To ensure that the decorative sunflower receives the necessary nutrients, add rotted compost (1:1) to the soil.
Planting and care
When the pots are prepared, proceed to planting. It is better to plant the seeds in pairs; when the plants sprout, remove the weaker one. The seed should be buried 2.5 cm into the soil.
Until the seeds germinate, you need to water the soil every 2 days, observing the soil moisture.
Shoots will be noticeable within 3-8 days. But if 2 weeks have passed and the sunflowers still haven’t hatched, they won’t sprout.
Place the container with decorative sunflowers in a well-lit place so that the crop receives sunlight throughout the day.
Pests and diseases
Sunny flowers are subject to many dangers. Most often they are attacked by moths, longhorned beetles and thorn beetles. Pests settle on the crop and eat away the contents of its stem, soon bringing the plant to death. Inspect the plant and as soon as you notice the appearance of uninvited guests, treat it with insecticides. One processing session will be enough to eliminate the threat.
Among the bacterial diseases that can infect crops are rust, false powdery mildew and brown spot.
Downy mildew. The cause of the disease may be infection by insects that carry the infection. Most often these are aphids, scale insects or scale insects. It can also contribute to bacterial infections high humidity soil or air.
Downy mildew manifests itself as a white coating on inside leaves, while dark spots appear on the outside.
To stop the spread of the disease, remove the most affected areas of the plant, carefully sterilizing pruning tools. Then treat the entire planting with special antifungal drugs - fungicides.
If you don't want to use chemicals, then use folk recipe: dissolve 3 g copper sulfate and 25 g of laundry soap in 1 liter of water. Spray the plants with this product until the disease symptoms disappear (usually after 3-7 days).
Brown spot (phyllostictosis) for decorative sunflowers is also a fairly common problem. Moreover, both a sunny flower in the garden and one grown on the windowsill can get sick.
If you notice spots (round or oval shape), which dry out over time - this is brown spotting.
Phyllosticosis can spread through soil, water, and even be carried by the wind from neighboring diseased plants. The progression of the disease occurs rapidly when high temperatures air (above +26 o C) and high humidity.
As soon as spots appear, the affected parts of the plant must be removed. And if the sunflower is grown indoors, put it away healthy plants. After removing the affected part of the plant, tools and hands must be treated with alcohol, and the cut area on the crop must be sprinkled with activated carbon. On initial stage development, these measures are sufficient to prevent.
If the disease continues to spread, the crop must be treated with special chemical antifungal drugs - fungicides. For example:
- Vectra drug - diluted in a bucket of water (2-3 mg);
- drug Abiga-pik - diluted in half a bucket of water (40-50 g);
- drug Strobi - diluted in a bucket of water (4 g).
The resulting mixture is thoroughly sprayed all over aboveground part plants.
Rust. it's the same a big problem for decorative sunflower. The causative agent of the disease is a rust fungus. It is manifested by the appearance of pustules on the leaves or stems - bright orange bubbles, which, when ripe, burst. The pustules contain orange powder inside.
To avoid the appearance of rust on the leaves of a decorative sunflower, you need to follow all agrotechnical standards for caring for it: weed and loosen the soil, remove weeds.
The disease can be eliminated using fungicides.
Decorative sunflower: video
Decorative sunflower: photo
Imagine orderly rows powerful plants who greet the morning sun and turn their beautiful hats to follow its rays. This is helianthus, known to us as “sunflower” - the most light-loving crop. If you think that you can only find it in fields where sunflowers are grown on an industrial scale, then you are deeply mistaken. Helianthus occupies not the last place in decorative floriculture. Thanks to the work of breeders, many hybrid varieties with interesting colors have been developed, and the unpretentiousness of the crop and its proud, regal appearance attract the attention of lovers of simple but original forms.
Decorative sunflowers are often used to make bouquets, because after cutting the plant retains its fresh appearance for 2 weeks.
Growing helianthus is a pleasure. It develops almost without human help, without needing daily care. Even a single plant in a flowerbed becomes the center of attention, and group compositions from different varieties of sunflowers, and even in combination with other flowers, create a unique masterpiece. We invite you to take a closer look at the decorative sunflower and its popular types, and also learn about the features of cultivation, so that everyone can choose a plant to their liking and decorate their area with it.
The sunflower received its scientific name due to the shape of the inflorescence, reminiscent of the sun, and Greek language, in which “helianthus” means two words: “sun” and “flowers”. That is why it is often called the “flower of the sun.”
What is a decorative sunflower?
Helianthus is a member of the Asteraceae (Asteraceae) family. All its hybrid varieties are bred on the basis of wild annual sunflower - a medium-sized plant up to 1 m high with a large number of inflorescences in the form of sun caps. The inflorescence itself is a basket with small tubular petals inside, and large lingual petals along the edge. At the end of flowering, the petals wither and fall off, and black faceted seeds ripen under them.
Sunflower seeds have very good germination rate: even after 3 years they are able to germinate.
Varietal diversity of helianthus
Today, there are almost 200 species of helianthus that are used in decorative floriculture, but breeders do not stop there, inventing new varieties of this unique plant. Among them there are both dwarf specimens, not exceeding 30 cm in height, and real giants, more than 3 m in height. The color of the caps is no less varied: from the characteristic yellow color, to unique white petals and even dark purple. What can we say about terry varieties- their stuffed, lush heads will decorate the flowerbed.
Scientists also worked on the shape of the inflorescence itself, developing varieties similar to dahlias, chrysanthemums or gerberas. And the shape of the petals itself is different from standard view sunflower - they can be round or oval, curved or twisted.
It is worth noting that most modern hybrids are absolutely sterile. They do not have pollen, therefore, an allergic reaction to a sunflower bouquet is excluded.
Depending on the shape of the plant, the following species groups of helianthus flowers are distinguished:
- variegated (with a pattern on the leaves);
- Californian (with stuffed inflorescences);
- multi-flowered (multiple inflorescences are located along the entire stem, giving the sunflower the appearance of a pyramid).
Based on the overall height of the bush, they are distinguished:
- giant varieties with a height of 1.8 to 3 m with large caps with a diameter of up to 30 cm;
- medium-sized sunflowers with a height of 1.2 m;
- dwarf varieties not exceeding 60 cm in height.
Among the most beautiful types of helianthus, it is worth noting the following varieties:
Where and when is it better to plant a sun flower?
The main thing that needs to be taken into account when growing helianthus is that this plant loves the sun very much and simply cannot live without it. If there is the brightest and warmest spot on your property, it is simply meant for sunflowers. In addition, such an area should not be flooded with melt water.
To admire the colorful caps until frost, you can plant the plant in several passes, starting from April and ending in August.
Planting helianthus is carried out mainly with the help of seeds, placing them in holes of 2 pieces. The second seed is usually used as a backup; if both seeds germinate, one plant can always be replanted. In general, sunflower seeds have good germination rates. There is no need to deepen the seeds too much; 2 cm is enough - in the future, the powerful roots themselves will firmly settle in the hole.
The distance between the holes depends on the specific variety and averages about 40 cm. If it is an erect species that has few branches, the holes can be made closer to each other. Lush, abundantly branching bushes should be planted less often so that they have enough space to develop.
If you decide to grow helianthus seedlings (this option is also possible), you should consider that it does not tolerate transplantation well.
Dwarf varieties can be grown as potted crops, placing containers on summer period on outdoors in the garden. Perennial helianthus are propagated by dividing the bush, which is carried out in the third year after planting in early spring or in the fall.
Caring for decorative sunflowers
Despite its size and powerful structure (rarely any other garden flower has such a strong trunk, not counting the bushes), helianthus is the most unpretentious plant. Almost all the main activities for its cultivation are carried out at the planting stage. Having chosen a suitable place for the culture, caring for helianthus in the future will not cause trouble, because by its nature the sunflower has good vitality, having adopted it from its ancestors. Its developed root system firmly anchors the plant in the soil, be it compact species or tall varieties, and is able to obtain nutrition from the lower layers.
As for watering, helianthus prefers moderate humidity. You should not flood the plantings so that the roots do not start to rot, but in dry, hot summers you will need to add water more often to the bushes.
During the season, it is advisable to feed the decorative sunflower twice to replenish the balance. useful substances, which the powerful root system of the plant selected from the soil. But even if this is not done, the helianthus will not disappear, it will simply not be able to reveal its beauty in full force.
After sunflowers, only legumes can be planted next season, because they greatly deplete the soil. Even after applying fertilizers, the soil will only be able to fully recover after several years.
After the inflorescences fade, they must be cut out to prolong the overall flowering of the bush (the largest caps should be left to collect the seeds). In addition, pruning will help relieve stress on the stem, and it will not bend. Tall varieties of helianthus need additional support.
To speed up the flowering of helianthus, some gardeners use one trick: they pluck out the stepsons and small buds that grow under the central one.
If everything is clear regarding annuals (they must be planted annually), then a few more words should be said about perennial decorative sunflowers. This applies to the wintering of the flower in open ground– when growing perennials in cold regions, they may require shelter, especially if the winter has little snow. Otherwise, care perennial crops is no different from breeding annual helianthus.
As you have already seen, the sun flower is actually very flexible and incredibly beautiful. Stock up on seeds and grow this versatile plant in your garden. Tall giants with their large hats will reliably hide your dacha from neighbors, miniature babies with lush heads will decorate the summer veranda, and perennial sunflowers for a long time will meet you at the gate, nodding their heads in greeting.
Review of decorative sunflower seeds - video
This annual herbaceous plant with wonderful “sunny” flowers will decorate any garden plot. How many gardeners know that the sunflower we are used to belongs to a species that includes more than 150 ornamental varieties?
Origin of the decorative sunflower
Even from the Mexican expedition of Christopher Columbus to Europe, seeds of an unusual plant were brought, which was later named after the shape of the flower - Helianthus (from the Greek “helios” - sun and “anthos” - flower).
Then, in the 16th century, the plant aroused genuine admiration for its unusual flower shape: paintings and poems - artists captured the beauty of this culture in their works.
The sunny flower came to Russia thanks to Peter the Great: he brought seeds and ordered domestic gardeners to grow an unusual crop. It was then that the sunflower, which is now used in agriculture, spread as an ornamental plant. But varieties for flower beds were bred by breeders much later: new varieties are still appearing, differing in height, size of inflorescences, their shade and number.
Description of the species
Helianthus is a herbaceous plant that is grown all over the world: in South and North America, Europe, Japan and even Africa. Decorative sunflowers are included in bouquets, used in landscape design and grown as potted flowers on a windowsill. And the residents of Austria fell in love with the sunny flower so much that they even opened the “Sunflower Park”, where all possible wild and selected varieties of this crop are collected.
Today, the species is usually divided into 2 subspecies:
sowing sunflower;
decorative sunflower.
There are both annual and perennial varieties.
Many varieties of helianthus look so that it is even difficult to associate them with their ancestor - the now agricultural sunflower, from the seeds of which the oil beloved in every family is obtained.
Color. The color of helianthus flowers can be very diverse: white, cream, apricot, orange, burgundy, lemon, brown and, of course, yellow.
The flower shape is simple, as well as semi-double and even double.
Petal shape: round, long, rolled into a tube, curved.
The diameter of flowers of different varieties can be from 5 to 30 cm.
The height of the plant stem. Conventionally, plants are divided into 3 groups according to height:
giant varieties reaching 2-3 m in height (“Russian Giant”, “Tall Single”, “Yellow Giant”, “Titan”, “Russian Mammoth”, “Bismarcianus”);
medium-sized varieties, the height of which is from 1 to 1.5 m;
compact varieties, up to 60 cm high (“Teddy Bear”, “Pacino”, “Music Box”, “Sunny Bunny”).
All varieties have a delicate aroma and are honey plants.
Varieties of decorative sunflowers
We will not list all varieties known today. We will only talk about the most popular of them:
“Teddy Bear” - this variety is very much loved by gardeners in our country. The annual plant does not exceed 1 m in height; in mid-summer it blooms with large (22 cm in diameter) double flowers, the color of which is bright yellow. Flowering continues until autumn.
“Red Sun”, a variety bred by domestic breeders, has gained popularity all over the world. It has red-brown petals, a long flowering period, and can reach a height of 2 m.
“Vanilla Ice” is a famous variety grown for cutting. The flowers are single and vanilla in color.
"Moulin Rouge" - has an unusual color: burgundy-red petals become lighter towards the edges and darker closer to the middle of the flower.
“Kong” is the tallest decorative sunflower - the height of an adult crop is 5 m. It is often planted in garden plots to create a hedge.
“ProCut Red Lemon BiColor” - has inflorescences of two shades: the inner part of the petals is red, the outer part is soft yellow, and the core of the flower is black.
'Pacino' is a very small plant with striking bright yellow flowers.
"Big Smile" is a low-growing variety (maximum 30 cm) with yellow flowers with a black center.
"Sunspot" is an amazing dwarf variety with huge flowers (20-25 cm in diameter).
“Music Box” is a variety characterized by a large number of flowers on one plant.
Planting helianthus in the garden
The very name of the sunny flower suggests that it likes to grow in well-lit areas. Select a site with fertile soil for the plant so that there is no need to fertilize during the growing season. The plant will feel better if the planting site is protected from sharp gusts of wind, which can break its fragile stem.
Decorative annual sunflowers are planted from seeds. Preparing seed material is very simple:
dissolve wood ash in 0.5 liters of warm water;
soak a piece of fabric with the resulting solution;
wrap sunflower seeds in cloth;
leave for a day;
if the fabric dries out, moisten it with the same solution.
Seeds need to be planted in the soil to a depth of no more than 3 cm. It is very important to think through the planting scheme of the crop: if the variety is compact, then 30-40 cm between plants will be enough, and if large, then at least 70 cm.
The first plants can be planted in early May and shoots will appear within a week after planting. Flowering will begin in July and last until the end of September. Some gardeners, in order to extend the flowering period of the flower bed, plant plants in groups with a short time interval (about 2 weeks) throughout the summer.
Decorative sunflower: plant care
Sunny flowers are unpretentious in care. They need:
watering as the soil dries (it is important not to allow water to stagnate) - at least once a week;
loosening the soil;
removing weeds.
As flowering begins, the flower baskets should be cut off without waiting for the seeds to form - this will stimulate the plant to form new buds and resume the flowering cycle. In addition, removing faded inflorescences will help maintain the decorative appearance of your garden.
If you want to remove the plant completely, then simply cut it off at the root: by digging up one bush, you can inadvertently damage the delicate roots of neighboring, still actively flowering crops.
How to grow decorative sunflowers at home: instructions
At any time of the year, a bright sunny flower will delight you, sitting on the windowsill in a warm apartment. The growing process is so simple that many parents are happy to entrust it to their children, who watch the development of the culture with great interest.
So, the first thing to do is choose an interesting variety by going to the nearest garden center. Most importantly, do not forget that dwarf varieties are more suitable for home growing.
Container selection
To plant a decorative sunflower, purchase a standard container for flowers, taking into account the height of the future sunny flower and the number of plants you are going to plant:
a pot that is too small will soon become too small for the plant and will have to be replanted, but the crop does not tolerate replanting well - so it is not worth doing this;
if the variety is dwarf, a pot with a diameter of 30-40 cm will be optimal for planting;
if you have a special balcony flower box, it is perfect for planting several sunflowers at once;
if you still want to plant a medium-sized sunflower in an apartment (height up to 1.5 m), you will need a large box (from 18 liters), for example, one in which vegetables are transported.
Soil for sunflowers
Disinfect the pot before planting to prevent the development of diseases in the plant. Provide a stand to drain water under the bottom.
Be sure to provide drainage - place pebbles (pebbles, gravel) or pieces of polystyrene foam on the bottom of the planting container. Fill the soil mixture (universal soil for flowers) on top of the drainage layer. There should be enough soil so that there is still 2-2.5 cm left to the top of the container. Water the soil well.
You can add special crystals to the soil mixture that retain moisture - this will help maintain an optimal moisture balance;
To ensure that the decorative sunflower receives the necessary nutrients, add rotted compost (1:1) to the soil.
Planting and care
When the pots are prepared, proceed to planting. It is better to plant the seeds in pairs; when the plants sprout, remove the weaker one. The seed should be buried 2.5 cm into the soil.
Until the seeds germinate, you need to water the soil every 2 days, observing the soil moisture.
Shoots will be noticeable within 3-8 days. But if 2 weeks have passed and the sunflowers still haven’t hatched, they won’t sprout.
Place the container with decorative sunflowers in a well-lit place so that the crop receives sunlight throughout the day.
Pests and diseases
Sunny flowers are subject to many dangers. Most often they are attacked by moths, longhorned beetles and thorn beetles. Pests settle on the crop and eat away the contents of its stem, soon bringing the plant to death. Inspect the plant and as soon as you notice the appearance of uninvited guests, treat it with insecticides. One processing session will be enough to eliminate the threat.
Bacterial diseases that can infect crops include rust, downy mildew and brown spot.
Downy mildew. The cause of the disease may be infection by insects that carry the infection. Most often these are aphids, scale insects or scale insects. Also, increased soil or air humidity can contribute to bacterial damage.
Downy mildew manifests itself as a white coating on the inside of the leaves, while dark spots appear on the outside.
To stop the spread of the disease, remove the most affected areas of the plant, carefully sterilizing pruning tools. Then treat the entire planting with special antifungal drugs - fungicides.
If you do not want to use chemicals, then use a folk recipe: dissolve 3 g of copper sulfate and 25 g of laundry soap in 1 liter of water. Spray the plants with this product until the disease symptoms disappear (usually after 3-7 days).
Brown spot (phyllostictosis) for decorative sunflowers is also a fairly common problem. Moreover, both a sunny flower in the garden and one grown on the windowsill can get sick.
If you notice spots (round or oval) on the stems and leaves of a sunflower that dry out over time, this is brown spot.
Phyllosticosis can spread through soil, water, and even be carried by the wind from neighboring diseased plants. The development of the disease occurs rapidly at high air temperatures (above +26 o C) and high humidity.