Here comes the sun

Shame upon the stuffy gardener who thinks sunflowers are a bit common. Such gardeners are grumpy and clearly lost their school sunflower-growing competition. Planting a few of these annuals will make your garden look like the sort of sunny, fun place anyone could spend a warm afternoon, and make any unhappy passers-by smile.

You don’t have to grow the towering giants: there are red sunflowers, white sunflowers, and dwarf sunflowers. But if your competitive streak didn’t die when you left primary school, here’s the Fennel and Fern guide to growing a whopper.

1. Sow seed as early as possible
If you own a greenhouse, or have a room with adequate light, this can be as early as February. But beware that you will need to make a pot big enough for the sunflower’s enthusiastic tap root. Use newspaper pots, and if you see any roots poking out the bottom, it’s time for a longer tube.

2. Roll out the red carpet
When you’re ready to plant out (that is, when the temperature is warm enough and you can provide adequate protection against frosts), dig a nice big deep hole. As a guide, dig to twice the depth of your newspaper pot. Fill the excess space with well-rotted manure.

3. Plant out with plenty of defences
Sunflowers are top of the menu at many distinguished slug eateries. They love the nutritious, tender foliage of a young plant, and will happily polish off the whole plant while your back is turned. So, once you have carefully hardened off your seedlings, employ the Fennel and Fern organic slug battleplan. And if you have planted out before the risk of frosts is fully over, use a cloche at night (an empty sunflower oil bottle works perfectly.

4. Feed
Mulch the sunflower regularly with spent hops. Once a week, feed with comfrey fertiliser, and give your sunflowers a drink of cheap beer as often as you can afford. Make sure you water them daily.

5. Stake
Provide a good, strong support: a coppiced hazel pole is perfect.