Hi all! Love the red sunflower!

We picked up some sunny seeds for this year, Soraya(branching), Taiyo(heirloom) and another which I can't remember. Also have some Teddy Bear seeds from last year. Grown them once before and the are awsome So big and fluffy.

Love-in-a-Mist never likes to grow for me. I get scant few seedlings. Maybe I'll try it again and see what happens.

I didn't do anything differently the 3rd. time Gwen. I just thing that too much rain after the first planting lost that batch, not sure what happened to the second as a few started to come up and then just disappeared. I guess the thing I will do this year is keep a closer eye on the weather and make sure we aren't going to be having an upcoming monsoon until they at least have a chance to come up.

If you do your sunflower's inside to keep birds off what do you plant in tried mine in cells and when put out they died . Have lots of birds around so taking a big chance putting straight out cause have seen them grad the small seedling out the ground am wanting to do a menory garden for my son and he loved sunflower so wondering how I am gonna keep the birds off and even doing in house to getting out lol.
Thanks,
Carolyn

I've had a lot of problems with direct sowing sunflowers too, they sprout just fine, but various critters pick them off one by one. The last couple of years I've done a late wintersowing of them in milk jugs, and set them out when they were about 6-8" tall. They performed very well.

Are you hardening them off when you put them outside? Any seedling that you bring outdoors should be exposed to the elements gradually. You set it out in the shade for only a few hours each day, gradually leaving it out longer over the course of a week or so. If you put it right out in the hot sun and other elements right away, it will kill it.

Another thing you could try would be to plant the seeds and cover the area with a row cover, which is a light fabric that lets water and fabric in. One of the most popular brand names is Reemay. You might be able to find it at a garden supply store, or you can order it online.

Good luck! I hope it works out for you.

I have either covered with remay or I cover each plant individually with little plastic strawberry containers placed upside down and pinned in place. Remay is way easier if you have a lot of sunflowers.