In the Field
Well, obviously, I am not in the field yet but getting ready for it. I placed my sunflower seed order today. I will still be growing at Meadowlark Heritage Farms this summer. I have 6 – 100 foot rows there. I am going to only plant single stem varieties this year and I am going to try and grow 3 rows of flowers in each larger row. So, I am really packing them in because I want to see how “dense” I can plant and still get a good harvest. I will be planting all direct seed into the soil this year. Last year, I tried some transplants but I did not see enough of a difference to justify the transplanting (it was a little bit extra work…).
I went to the Johnny Seed website to place my order and found that there have been several new varieties out this year. So, here are the “new” ones that I am trying this year:
Sunrich Lime – New! Bright, lemon-yellow petals surround a lime-green disk.
Sunrich Limoncello – New! Lemon-yellow petals with a ray of bright yellow at the center. The bicolor petals give the blooms an enhanced three-dimensional appearance.
ProCut Plum – Exciting new addition to the ProCut series. Muted plum-to-cream bicolor blooms combine well with soft or vivid colors.
ProCut Red – It took years of breeding efforts to produce this impressive red ProCut sunflower. Early blooms are produced on long, strong, single stems.
Sunbright Supreme – Blooms more quickly than Sunbright under short days. More rounded petals and shorter, more rigid stems with reduced lower leaves make this an excellent variety for bouquet work.
ProCut Peach – Peach-colored petals with a dark disc.
I had no idea there were so many new sunflowers being introduced so this was a pleasant surprise. I am most excited about the red. In the past, the only red available was a branching variety which is not so great for cut flowers. I am also planting 7 other varieties that I have planted in the past that are reliable producers. I am so excited to be introducing some new sunflowers again this year!