Decorative sunflower: photo, sowing, growing method. Flowers similar to sunflowers name and photo

Sunflower is a flower that gives a charge of optimism and vitality due to its bright yellow color of the petals and the shape resembling the sun. But besides this, this crop is a valuable supplier of vegetable oil, rich in antioxidants and vitamin youth (tocopherol or vitamin E). A complete description of the sunflower, presented on this page, will help you get to know the plant better and learn about all of its positive qualities. The article also talks about how to grow sunflowers in your backyard and get not only lush flowering, but also healthy seeds. The methods of agricultural technology, allowing to grow a rich harvest, are given. It is worth starting the study with the question of where to plant sunflowers so that the culture develops as quickly as possible and fills with a crop of seeds.

What a sunflower looks like: the leaves of the plant in the photo

The sunflower (Helianthus annus) belongs to the Asteraceae family.

The sunflower comes from North America. This is an ancient culture. During archaeological excavations, its seeds were found, the age of which is determined at 2000-3000 years. The "flower of the sun", as the sunflower was called, was worshiped in ancient Mexico, its image was made of gold. Absolutely everyone knows what a sunflower looks like in a blooming state. But few people are familiar with sunflower leaves, if you think about it, you won’t immediately remember their appearance. So unforgettable impression produces a head (flower).

Sunflower was brought to Europe from North America. Once in Russia under Peter I, this plant was grown only for decorative purposes for several decades. At present, sunflower has become the main oilseed crop in our country.

Sunflower is widely distributed in the southern regions of Russia as a field crop, in more northern regions as a silage crop.

See how a sunflower looks like in a photo of a plant, where leaves, stem and inflorescences are illustrated:

Where and how to use the benefits of sunflower

Speaking about where the sunflower is used, it is worth mentioning that it is of interest to the botanist for its curious adaptations to life and, perhaps, is even more interesting to everyone as one of the most useful cultivated plants.

The whole process of improving and creating that cultivated sunflower, which is now known to each of us, took place in our country. Russia can rightly be called the birthplace of cultivated sunflower. The fact is that in Western Europe, where sunflower seeds were exported from overseas more than once, this plant was bred more often as an ornamental plant or as a garden plant (“grying culture”). In all these cases, these were branched forms with numerous small baskets of flowers, as they grew in their homeland in the steppes and semi-deserts. Neither residents Western Europe, nor the inhabitants of the American prairies thought of such a discovery as using sunflower as an oil plant. The French in the 19th century began to do this, but for some reason they abandoned it.

But in Russia in 1779, the article “On the preparation of oil from sunflower seeds” was already published in Academic News. At the end of the 18th century, the famous Russian agronomist Bolotov himself tried to get sunflower oil on his estate. The benefits of sunflower were enormous, as the culture supplied the economy with useful cake for livestock and fragrant oil of excellent quality.

In the 30s of the last century, the serf Bokarev from the settlement of Alekseevka, Voronezh province, began to cultivate sunflowers in his garden, process its seeds in a manual oil churn and obtain excellent edible oil. Bokarev began to sell oil to the side; sunflower crops began to spread, and the plant itself, carefully cultivated on fertile black earth soil, improved its qualities, reducing the number of flower baskets, but increasing them in size. This is how the cultural golden-yellow “flower of the sun” was created in Russia, Ukraine.

What is the structure of flowers in a sunflower inflorescence: what are the features

The head or inflorescence of a sunflower - this well-known the most useful plant- of course, the largest of all closely familiar flowers. A head of up to 40 centimeters in diameter is not such a rarity, but this is the size of a Victoria flower. However, here we have to make a reservation that Victoria we are talking really about one flower, and the head of a sunflower is a whole "inflorescence", a whole "basket", as botanists say. The structure of a sunflower flower is amazing: in a large head, you can count more than a thousand small buds. Small flowers collected in "baskets" are, of course, not only in sunflowers, but in very many plants, like chamomile, burdock, dandelion, cornflower, sow thistle, etc., etc.

To understand what kind of inflorescence a sunflower has, it is best to examine its head at a time when faded flowers are already falling off along the edges, exposing seeds that begin to ripen. At this time, you can see flowers in all ages.

What is the result of such a combination of colors? What is the role of each flower in this inflorescence? The main task is to create as much as possible good seeds for sunflower propagation. In order for a flower to turn into a seed, it is necessary that the pollen gets on the stigma of the pistil. The seed will be better if the pollen is taken from another flower or brought from another sunflower.

The transfer of pollen must be carried out by insects. But it may happen that for some reason the insects will not do this. In this case, the flower, which did not wait for pollen from outside, should, as they say, “at worst” produce self-pollination. If external pollination has already been done, additional self-pollination is useless. If there was no pollination from outside, then self-pollination produces a seed, although not always quite good. So, each flower faces such a task: it is necessary to avoid self-pollination and try to get pollen from the outside, but if this fails, then in order not to be wasted, self-pollination should be done. Let's see how the flowers cope with such a tricky task.

In the very middle, small buds are placed, further - larger buds. These are "children" and "teenagers". Then the already blossoming flowers begin, from which dark anthers stick out, stuck together like a muff. These are flowers that are experiencing the male period of their lives. They give pollen that spills out inside the muff. The pestle growing inside the muff - with the stigma still closed and therefore incapable of pollination - pushes the pollen up. Nectar is already secreted inside the flower at this time. A bee sucking this nectar will certainly touch the pollen and carry it away on itself.

Away from the middle of the head are flowers that have already completed the male period of life and started the female one. The pistils stretched out above the anthers, the stigmas opened. Nectar continues to stand out. The bee, which has already visited the male flowers and is stained with pollen, searches the female flowers and, touching the stigmas, produces pollination.

Even older flowers sit even further from the middle of the head. The pistils have shortened, the stigmas have curled up so that they can touch the pollen of their own flower. At this time of the flower's life, self-pollination occurs, if there was no outside pollination before. Now the nectar is no longer secreted; the flower is clogged with dust particles and stigma pressed against each other. A bee, flying up to such a flower, does not linger, but hurries to younger flowers, where it can feast on benefits both for itself and for the sunflower.

During the life of a flower, the anthers first rise up, then fall back down. The filaments of the stamens have to first stretch, then shorten. They then straighten, then curl curls. In order to have somewhere to fit these curls, a spacious chamber was prudently arranged in the flower, making the flower look like a glass swollen at the bottom. Closer to the edge of the head, the flowers completely withered and fell off, exposing the “pavement” of seeds sitting in regular rows.

The structure of flowers in the sunflower inflorescence is unique and distinguishes the buds from each other: reed flowers sit in a ring along the very edge of the head. These are barren flowers that do not produce seeds. They have neither stamens nor pistils. There are only large bright corollas. Their purpose is only to show off; but even in this they serve the common cause. Thanks to these barren flowers, insects from afar see the dark heads of sunflowers surrounded by golden yellow crowns. But what kind of sunflower flowers bring tasty and fragrant seeds, these are those that are located in the center of the head.

Around the ring of reed flowers there is a wrap ring. These are green leaves, like tiles, overlapping each other. The wrapping performed its main purpose at a time when the head of a sunflower was still a bud, when the beginnings of flowers were just emerging inside the bud. Then these rudiments were so tender that they had to be protected from the cold, and from dampness, and from all sorts of pests.

The sunflower inflorescence is one of the clearest examples of that ingenious adaptation to life, which is manifested in everything flora, and throughout the world of organic nature. This fitness long time presented a mysterious riddle, the natural and ingeniously simple solution of which was found by Darwin.

Sunflower plant: botanical description of culture

Beginning botanical description sunflower, it is worth noting that this is a well-known field oilseed, belongs to the Compositae family, it is an annual herbaceous plant from 1 to 1.25 m in height. It has a taproot branched root. The stem is simple, like the leaves, rough.

Continuing the description of the sunflower culture, let's say that the lower leaves are alternate, petiolate, heart-shaped-ovate, and the upper ones are elliptical. The large, petiolate, heart-shaped, toothed leaves are bent outward, rainwater flows down them. Thin streams of such water absorb sunflower roots. A mass of small lateral branches extend from one main root, which do not extend beyond the crown of leaves.

In continuation of the description of the sunflower plant, it is worth mentioning that its flowers are yellow, apical, collected in a large drooping basket up to 25 cm in diameter, which turns towards the sun. The outer flowers are large, yellow, lingual, sterile; internal - tubular, smaller, yellow-brown, bisexual, located throughout inner surface baskets. These inflorescences, reminiscent of the radiant sun, provided the sunflower with both Russian and scientific name: from Greek words helios - sun and anthos - flower.

False-lingual bright yellow flowers are located outside the inflorescence, they do not form achenes, but, increasing the surface of the basket, attract insects. The inner tubular flowers are fertile, after they bloom, seeds are formed, seeds known to all, containing oil and other useful substances.

The fruit is an oblong ovoid achene of a striped or black color. Blossoms in July-August, ripens in August-September.

This plant has the unique ability to turn its head following the sun, tracing its entire path from sunrise to sunset.

Sunflower has quite a lot decorative forms: with variegated leaves; double inflorescences, consisting of reed flowers; with double, spherical inflorescences, from tubular flowers; various colors of median flowers (yellow, brown or purple and others).

There are many out now different varieties and hybrids.

See what a sunflower flower looks like in the photo, which shows different forms cultural development:

The best varieties of sunflower: description and photo

Considering the best varieties of sunflower, it is worth dividing them into decorative and agricultural. The following description of sunflower varieties will allow you to choose the right one. planting material for your area.

Flagman refers to mid-season varieties of sunflower: the plant reaches a height of 210 cm. The oil content of seeds is 55–56%. environmentally sustainable high yielding variety, resistant to broomrape, downy mildew, sunflower moth, phomopsis. If sowing was done on May 15, then harvesting can begin on September 15.

Gourmand- a highly productive mid-season universal variety, which is grown both for the production of butter and for the confectionery industry, has large seeds with good palatability. The variety is resistant to sunflower moth, broomrape, downy mildew, it can be grown in almost all areas, but it is recommended for cultivation in the forest-steppe zone.

Spring- early medium-yielding sunflower variety. The oil content of the seeds is 53%. The plant is resistant to broomrape, downy mildew. It can be sown until June 15, gives good yields during drought. Distributed in the steppe zone.

Buzuluk– high-yielding extra early undersized variety. The plant is resistant to rot, powdery, mildew, fomopsis, tolerates drought well.

Look at these sunflower varieties in the photo, which demonstrates the strongest qualities of a particular species:

Conditions and features of growing sunflower (with video)

Features of growing sunflower are that it is planted in a sunny, wind-protected place. Can grow on any garden soil, but most clearly shows its decorative qualities on fertile, light, loose and slightly acidic or neutral soil.

Growing conditions for sunflowers are not tricky, and maintenance includes pruning off faded blooms so the plant can continue to bloom. In an open, windy area, you need to tie the stem to the stakes.

The plant is very fond of regular watering, and abundant watering is recommended. It responds well to top dressing with complex mineral and organic fertilizers.

Propagated by seeds, which are sown directly into the ground in mid-May, nests of 2–3 seeds, to a depth of 2–3 cm. Sunflower seedlings appear 6–8 days after sowing. Flowering occurs 75–80 days after germination.

In cultural horticulture, both tall, medium and low varieties are bred.

Watch how sunflower cultivation is carried out in the video, which shows some agricultural techniques:

Sunflower care and cultivation

When planning the proper care of sunflower, it is worth knowing that it can be sown on chernozem, chestnut and gray forest soils, while saline, acidic and sandy soils unsuitable for this culture.

The optimum temperature for seed growth is +20–25 °C. The plant withstands frosts down to -6 °C. This is a light-loving and very demanding culture for nutrients, especially in the first half of plant development.

A field for growing sunflower, with proper care and observance of agricultural technology, can be used again only after 7-10 years. good predecessors for this crop will be corn, winter wheat, legumes.

Basic soil preparation depends on the condition of the field. In autumn, before plowing, the field should be worked several times (including stubble, harrowing, plowing), if there are perennial weeds, and harrowing and cultivation should be carried out in spring.

Phosphorus and potash fertilizers are applied under the main plowing in autumn, and nitrogen fertilizers are applied under spring cultivation. Together with sowing, a small part of phosphate fertilizers is also applied to the side of the row.

Sunflower should be sown after early spring crops, when average daily temperature soil + 10–12 °C. Before sowing, the seeds must be dressed or treated with microbiological preparations, and then rolled.

Soil herbicides can be applied before sowing or replaced by harrowing before sprouts appear. To increase the yield in the field, you can take out beehives with bees. Sunflower harvesting starts when 85% of all baskets turn brown.

The use of medicinal and beneficial properties of sunflower in medicine

It is interesting that the sunflower, brought in 1569 from Mexico to Spain and spread throughout Europe, was an ornamental plant for a long time. Hats and even suits were decorated with large inflorescences-baskets. The practical use of sunflower began after a peasant in the Voronezh province first obtained sunflower oil from seeds. Then oil mills were built. Currently, sunflower varieties have been bred whose seeds contain more than 50% fat.

Medicinal raw materials containing beneficial features sunflower, are marginal flowers and leaves, mature achenes. Flowers are collected throughout the summer at the beginning of the flowering of a particular plant. The leaves are plucked only green, undamaged by insects or diseases, and the flowers are only bright yellow, and they are pulled out of the baskets without damaging them, and immediately dried in a dark room. The leaves are air-dried in the shade or in dryers.

Ready-made raw materials - green leaves with petioles up to 3 cm long, bright yellowish flowers with a honey smell - are stored for 2 years.

The medicinal properties of sunflower lie in the fact that the leaves contain resins, rubber, provitamin A (carotene), and the flowers contain glycosides, choline and betaine. The fruits are rich in fatty oils. Sunflower oil, obtained from fruits, is included in creams, ointments as the main therapeutic component or replaces more expensive components. Used as a laxative, it is recommended for the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis (because it contains unsaturated fatty acids).

AT folk medicine sunflower flowers and leaves are used as a tincture in the treatment of febrile conditions, malaria and as bitterness to improve appetite. Overcooked sunflower oil is used in the form of oil dressings to treat wounds and burns, as part of a honey-milk drink to soothe the throat when coughing. Young sunflower baskets are used to make vitamin salads; along with germinated seeds, they help to increase immunity.

Sunflower preparations relax smooth muscles internal organs, lower body temperature, stimulate appetite, have an expectorant effect.

In folk medicine, a decoction of reed flowers is drunk for jaundice, heart disease, bronchial spasms and gastrointestinal colic, malaria, influenza, catarrh of the upper respiratory tract. Alcoholic tincture of reed flowers (and sometimes leaves) is effective for fever and neuralgia. Instead of tincture, you can use a decoction, which is used as a diuretic, as well as a remedy for diarrhea. The oil obtained from sunflower has high nutritional qualities and energy value. It is used as a prophylactic for atherosclerosis, due to the high content of unsaturated fatty acids in it. fatty acids. Boiled sunflower oil is used as a healing agent for fresh wounds and burns in the form of oil dressings.

Flowers, leaves, fruits and sunflower oil are used in medicine for diseases of the liver and biliary tract. Flowers and leaves are used as an anti-febrile agent, an alcoholic tincture of them is drunk for malaria, influenza, catarrh of the upper respiratory tract. Fresh seeds help with allergies (urticaria, etc.).

In England, young sunflower baskets are used to make salads.

Sunflower seeds contain a large number of oil, which includes glycerides of palmitic, stearic, arachidonic, lignoceric, oleic and linoleic acids, up to 19.1% protein, 26.5% carbohydrates, about 2% phytin and 1.5% tannins.

In cosmetology, with the help of warm oil applications, dry, aging skin of the face and hands is treated.

Used in traditional medicine healing properties sunflower and its marginal flowers, from which an alcoholic tincture is prepared, used for malaria and as an appetite stimulant in patients.

Oil is obtained from the kernels of seeds, the shell of the fruit (husk) can be used as fuel. Husk ash is rich in mineral salts and can be used both as a valuable fertilizer and for technical purposes. Sunflower meal serves as a good feed for fattening animals. In addition, the plant can be used for silage, it is a good honey plant.

Sunflower is the most common industrial crop in Russia. Almost all vegetable oil in the Russian Federation are made from it.

All varieties of sunflower can be divided into groups:

oilseeds with small seeds and large kernels, in which the fat content is from 53 to 63%;
gnaws with large seeds, the fat content of which is much lower - only 20-35%. Plants are quite large, often they are planted for silage.

cultivation decorative sunflower on the site will help to decorate almost any well-lit corner of the garden. This species, belonging to the Astrov family, has more than 150 different varieties that differ in color, bud size, and stem length. In Europe, the first sunflower seeds appeared thanks to the expedition of Columbus to Mexico. This plant aroused the admiration of not only amateur gardeners, but also many artists and poets, after which it received the name - Helianthus, or " sunny flower". Sunflower was brought to Russia from Europe by Peter I. By his order, culture received wide use and began to be used in agriculture. Decorative sunflowers appeared only many years later.

Varieties of decorative sunflowers

Helianthus have spread throughout the globe: they can be found in the North and South America, in European countries and on the African continent. In Austria, there is even a "Sunflower Park", where you can find various wild varieties and hybrids of this plant. Sunflowers can grow both in a pot on the windowsill and in the garden. They make magnificent summer bouquets and floral arrangements.

Currently, the view is divided into 2 subspecies:

agricultural,
decorative.

Some decorative varieties it is difficult to correlate with their progenitor, they look so unusual. Coloring can be not only yellow, but also white, beige, brown, reddish. Terry and non-double flowers are found in shape, their petals can be twisted, wavy, oblong. The diameter of the inflorescence reaches 30 cm.

Plants differ in stem height. Conventionally, sunflowers can be divided into several groups according to this feature:

large-sized, reaching a height of 3 meters;
compacts - stem height reaches 60 cm;
medium-sized, 1-1.5 meters high.

by the most famous varieties in Russia are:

Teddy bear - one of the best medium-sized varieties, blooms with large double orange flowers;
Vanilla Ice - variety with non-double light beige flowers;
Big Smile is a compact cultivar (maximum 30 cm) with lemon petals and a black centre;
Sunspot is a miniature plant with huge inflorescences up to 25 cm in diameter.

Landing and care

Growing an ornamental sunflower begins with choosing a suitable place: it must be sunny and with fertile soil, then caring for the flower will be easier and you won’t need to feed it regularly. It is advisable to choose a site protected from drafts so that sudden gusts of wind do not break the fragile stem. On the territory of central Russia, mainly annual decorative sunflowers are grown from seeds.

Seed material must be prepared in advance for planting: dissolve in 0.5 liters warm water wood ash, soak a small piece of cloth with a solution and wrap the seeds in it for a day. Seeds are planted in May, they are planted to a depth of no more than 3 cm. For compact varieties, the distance between plants should be about 40 cm, large varieties are planted 70 cm apart. The first shoots appear within 7 days after sowing. Young plants bloom in mid-summer, new buds continue to open until the end of September.

To prolong the flowering of a sunflower, you can plant plants with a difference of 2 weeks throughout the summer.

Caring for a sunny flower does not cause any particular problems - these plants are unpretentious. It is necessary to water as the topsoil dries up, avoiding moisture stagnation, about 1 time in 7 days. It is advisable to loosen the soil around the sunflower and remove weeds. After flowering, wilted inflorescences are removed without waiting for seeds to speed up the formation of new buds. It is possible to plant and grow several plants in one container, then flowering helianthus will look like a living bouquet. To remove the dried stem, the flower is cut at the root, but not dug up - this can damage other plants.

Growing at home

It is possible to grow compact varieties of decorative sunflowers on the windowsill in an ordinary apartment. This is such a simple process that you can entrust it to a child. Having chosen the variety you like, you need to purchase the usual flower pot up to 40 cm in diameter - this size is usually enough for miniature plant. But if the variety is large or it is planned to plant several plants in one container, it is better to take a larger container, otherwise the flowers will be crowded and they will have to be transplanted. For medium-sized varieties, it is better to take a large balcony box with a volume of 18 liters or more.

Boarding takes place in a disinfected nutrient soil, drainage from expanded clay or pebbles is placed at the bottom of the pot. After planting, the soil is moistened. You can add special additives to it - aquatic soil, which will retain moisture and prevent the root system from drying out, mineral fertilizers or rotted compost. Ornamental sunflower seeds are planted in pairs, deepening by 2.5 cm. After germination, the seedlings are watered every 2 days. Growing sunflowers in open ground takes place on well-lit areas, so you need to place the flower pot on a very bright windowsill.

Proper care of the plant is the key to its health and strong immune system. Helianthus can be attacked by pests - moths, barbels and spikelets. At the first sign of the appearance of insects, plants should be immediately treated with insecticides. Bacterial diseases are also dangerous, such as brown spot, powdery mildew and rust. The causes of their occurrence may be pests, excessive moisture in the soil or air. The affected areas must be removed, and the stem and leaves should be treated with fungicides.

Conclusion

The decorative sunflower is unpretentious, its planting, growing from seeds and care do not cause difficulties for amateur gardeners. There are many beautiful varieties, differing from each other in the size and color of the inflorescences, the height of the stem. Large varieties can reach 3 meters in height, while compact ones can be grown as indoor ones. Sunflowers love a bright location, regular watering and fertile soil.

Seeds can be sown immediately in a permanent place, shoots usually appear within a week. At first, the seedlings need regular watering, the subcortex is applied only on poor soils. Sunflowers bloom in the middle of summer and continue to delight with new buds until September. At home, plant pots are placed on a bright windowsill and watered regularly. Helianthus can be damaged by pests and get sick. At the first signs of illness or when insects appear, flowers are treated with special preparations.

Imagine slender rows of powerful plants that meet the morning sun and turn their beautiful hats after its rays. This is the helianthus, known to us under the name "sunflower" - the most light-loving culture. If you think that you can only meet it in the fields where the sunflower is grown on an industrial scale, then you are deeply mistaken. In decorative floriculture, helianthus is not the last. Thanks to the work of breeders, many hybrid varieties with interesting colors have been bred, and the unpretentiousness of the culture 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 a fresh look for 2 weeks.

Growing helianthus is a pleasure. It develops practically without human help, without the need for daily care. Even a single plant in a flower bed becomes the center of attention, and group compositions from different varieties sunflowers, and even in combination with other flowers, create a unique masterpiece. We offer a closer look at the ornamental sunflower and its popular species, as well as learn about the features of cultivation, so that everyone can choose a plant to their liking and decorate their site with it.

The sunflower got its scientific name due to the shape of the inflorescence, resembling the sun, and Greek, in which "helianthus" means two whole words: "sun" and "flowers". That is why it is often called the "flower of the sun."

What is an ornamental sunflower?

Helianthus is a member of the Aster family (Asteraceae). All of it hybrid varieties bred on the basis of an annual wild sunflower - a medium-sized plant up to 1 m high large quantity inflorescences in the form of sun hats. The inflorescence itself is a basket with small tubular petals inside, and large tongue petals along the edge. At the end of flowering, the petals wither and crumble, and black faceted seeds ripen under them.

Sunflower seeds have very good germination: even after 3 years they are able to germinate.

Varietal variety of helianthus

To date, there are almost 200 types of helianthus that are used in decorative floriculture, but breeders do not stop there, inventing new varieties of this unique plant. There are among them both dwarf specimens not exceeding 30 cm in height, and real giants over 3 m tall. The color of the hats is no less diverse: 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 flower bed.

Scientists also worked on the very form of the inflorescence, breeding varieties similar to dahlias, chrysanthemums or gerberas. And the very shape of the petals 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, respectively, an allergic reaction to a sunflower bouquet is excluded.

Depending on the shape of the plant, the following species groups of the helianthus flower are distinguished:

variegated (with a pattern on the leaves);
Californian (with stuffed inflorescences);
many-flowered (multiple inflorescences are located along the entire stem, giving the sunflower the appearance of a pyramid).

According to the total height of the bush, they distinguish:

giant varieties "growth" from 1.8 to 3 m with large hats up to 30 cm in diameter;
medium-sized sunflowers with a height of 1.2 m;
dwarf varieties not exceeding 60 cm in height.

Among the most beautiful views Helianthus is worth noting the following varieties:

Where and when is it better to plant a flower of the sun?

The main thing to consider when growing helianthus is that this plant loves the sun very much and simply cannot live without it. If your site has the brightest and warmest place, it is simply intended for a sunflower. In addition, such a site should not be flooded with melt water.

To admire the colorful hats until the frost, you can plant the plant in several visits, starting in April and ending in the month of August.

The planting of the helianthus is carried out mainly with the help of seeds, laying them out in holes of 2 pieces. The second seed is usually used as a fallback, in the event that both germinate, one plant can always be transplanted. In general, sunflower seeds have good germination. It is not necessary to deepen the seeds strongly, 2 cm is enough - in the future, powerful roots themselves will firmly settle in the hole.

The distance between the holes depends on the particular variety and averages about 40 cm. If it is an upright species that branches little, the holes can be made closer to each other. Lush, profusely branching bushes should be planted less often so that they have enough room to develop.

If you decide to grow seedlings of helianthus (this option is also possible), it should be borne in mind that it does not tolerate transplantation well.

Dwarf varieties can be bred as pot crops by placing containers on summer period on the outdoors in the garden. Reproduction of perennial helianthus is carried out by dividing the bush, which is carried out in the third year after planting in early spring or autumn.

Ornamental sunflower care

Despite its size and powerful structure (rarely any other garden flower has such a strong trunk, not counting the shrubs), 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 the helianthus will not cause trouble in the future, because by its nature the sunflower has good vitality, having adopted it from its ancestors. Its developed root system firmly fixes the plant in the soil, whether it be compact species or tall varieties, and is able to get nutrition from the lower layers.

As for watering, helianthus prefers moderate humidity. It is not worth flooding the plantings so that the roots do not begin to rot, however, in a dry, hot summer, you will need to pour water under the bushes more often.

During the season, it is advisable to feed the decorative sunflower twice in order to replenish the balance of nutrients that the powerful root system of the plant has chosen from the soil. But even if this is not done, the helianthus will not disappear, it simply will not be able to reveal its beauty in full force.

After sunflowers next season, you can only plant legumes, because they greatly deplete the land. Even after fertilization, the soil can fully recover only after a few years.

After the inflorescences fade, they must be cut to prolong the overall flowering of the bush (the largest caps should be left to collect seeds). In addition, pruning will help relieve stress on the stem, and it will not lean. Tall varieties of helianthus need additional support.

To bring the flowering of the helianthus closer, some gardeners use one trick: they pluck out stepchildren and small buds that grow under the central one.

If everything is clear with regard to annuals (they must be planted annually), then a few more words should be said about perennial decorative sunflowers. This applies to wintering a flower in the open field - when growing perennials in cold regions, they may require shelter, especially if the winter is not snowy. For the rest, care perennial crops is no different from breeding annual helianthus.

As you have already seen, the flower of the sun is actually very flexible and incredibly beautiful. Stock up on seeds and grow this versatile plant in your yard. Tall giants with their large hats will securely hide your dacha from neighbors, miniature crumbs with lush heads will decorate the summer veranda, and perennial sunflowers will meet you at the gate for a long time, nodding their heads as a sign of greeting.

Overview of ornamental sunflower seeds - video

Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants

Photo of a medicinal plant Sunflower annual (sunflower)

Healing properties of sunflower

Sunflower valued in folk medicine for its oil and seeds.

Synonym: oilseed sunflower.

Latin name: Helianthus annus.

English title: Sunflower.

Family: Asteraceae - Asteraceae.

Folk names: sunflower.

Pharmacy name: sunflower flowers - Helianthi flos, sunflower oil - Helianthi oleum.

Used parts: reed flowers, leaves, seeds (seeds), roots.

Botanical description: sunflower is one of the largest plants among the Compositae and, perhaps, the most beloved. There are no such gardens in the countryside, where this giant would not flaunt among other plants. Despite its size, it is annual plant. A stem extends from the fibrous root, which can reach a height of 3 m. The leaves are heart-shaped-triangular, pointed, coarsely pubescent, petiolate, arranged alternately on the stem. A powerful stem with a hollow core is crowned by a giant inflorescence-basket with a diameter of 10 to 35 cm. From below, the inflorescence is surrounded by a wrapper of green tiled leaves. The flowers of the central part of the basket are small, and the bright yellow reed flowers are much longer. By the beginning of flowering, the baskets droop. Blooms from July to September.

Habitat: sunflower is grown in gardens and fields. There are many cultivated varieties, they differ from each other in the size of the baskets and the oil content in the seeds. Individual copies sometimes "run away" to freedom, and then on the railway embankments, compost heaps and wild sunflowers appear across the wastelands. But they should not be collected. AT medicinal purposes only flowers of cultivated plants are used.

Collection and preparation: Reed flowers, leaves and mature achenes serve as medicinal raw materials. Flowers of bright yellow color are collected at the beginning of flowering, carefully breaking off without damaging the baskets. Green, healthy leaves are harvested in early summer. Dry at a temperature of 40-50 °C. Stored in cloth bags for 2 years.

Active ingredients: Flavonoids (quercimerythrin), coumarin glycoside scopolin, triterpene saponides, sterols (sitosterolin glycoside), carotenoids (β-carotene, cryptoxanthin, taraxanthin), phenolcarboxylic acids (chlorogenic, neochlorogenic, coffee), anthocyanins were found in leaves and flowers.

Sunflower seeds contain fatty oil (about 40%, sometimes up to 50-52%), proteins (up to 20%). carbohydrates (up to 25%), sterols, carotenoids, organic acids, phospholipids.

Annual sunflower - useful properties and uses

In folk medicine, oil from annual sunflower seeds is especially valued. With its help, diseased joints are massaged, poorly healing wounds are treated by applying oil dressings. Inside, sunflower oil is given as a mild laxative, while it acts as an emollient. In some cases, tea from reed flowers is used together with an anti-influenza remedy.

sunflower oil, is part of the dietary supplement Total Nutrition Today (Complete nutrition for every day) produced according to the international GMP quality standard for medicines.

Complete nutrition for every day

Nutritional table of 100 grams of sunflower seeds

100 grams of peeled sunflower seeds fried in a dry frying pan contains 19.33 grams of protein, 24.07 grams of carbohydrates, 11.1 grams, calories = 582 kcal.

ATTENTION!

Self-treatment is dangerous! Before treatment at home, consult with your doctor.

sunflower treatment

Heart arythmy. 200 g of sunflower roots pour 2 liters of water, boil for 5 minutes. Drink during the day. Pour the same roots again with 2 liters of water, boil for 10 minutes, also drink during the day, pour the same roots a third time with 2 liters of water and boil for 15 minutes. Drink the decoction during the day, discard the roots. This decoction also normalizes blood pressure.
Arthritis. A full glass of crushed sunflower roots pour 3 liters of water and boil for 5 minutes. Cool, strain, remove the roots in a cool place, you can put in the refrigerator. Decoction to drink for 2 days. Again, pour the roots with 3 liters of water, boil for 10 minutes. Decoction to drink for 2 days. The same roots again pour 3 liters of water, boil for 15 minutes. After that, discard the roots. The broth is also drunk for 2 days. You can take a decoction at any time, regardless of the meal.
This decoction helps to get rid of joint pain, osteochondrosis, arthritis, sciatica, relieves headaches, fatigue, treats hypertension, hearing and vision impairment, helps with nervous overload, and also perfectly cleanses and rejuvenates the body, removes stones from the kidneys and gallbladder .
Arthritis. A glass of crushed sunflower roots pour 1.5 liters of water, boil for 10-15 minutes, leave for 2 hours. Rub or make compresses on sore joints.
Pain in the kidneys. Pour half a glass of crushed sunflower roots into a thermos and pour 1 liter of boiling water, insist overnight. Take the resulting remedy 1 glass 2 times a day 30 minutes before meals.
Pain in the kidneys. Three times a day, pour a small pinch of sunflower petals with a glass of boiling water, insist, like tea, for several minutes and drink it warm.
Bronchial asthma. As soon as the sunflower blooms and milky seeds appear ("milk" instead of grains), take 600 g of them, pass through a meat grinder, add 300 g of May honey and 0.5 liters of alcohol. Mix everything well and put in a dark place for a week. After that, strain and take the tincture 1 tablespoon 3 times a day 15 minutes before meals.
Malaria(treatment). Wash the sunflower to the very root (with a flower, leaves and trunk), cut into large pieces, put in an enamel pan (or tank, if the sunflower is very large), pour water to completely cover the raw material, bring to a boil, hold on low heat for about 20 minutes. Drink a decoction without a norm at any time. It may take a few days to heal.
Metabolic disease. Tincture recipe: pour 20 g of sunflower flowers and leaves into 160 ml of vodka, leave for 9 days, strain. Take 15 drops 3 times a day.
Salt deposits(kidney disease). 1 cup of crushed sunflower roots pour 3 liters of water. Boil 5 minutes. Strain and drink the decoction within 3 days. Pour the used roots back with 3 liters of water and boil for 10 minutes. Just drink for 3 days. Pour the raw materials again with 3 liters of water and boil for 15 minutes. Drink the decoction again for 3 days. You can drink at any time. Then discard the used roots.
Pneumonia(pneumonia). Fill the bottle with sunflower flowers and pour vodka, leave for 2 weeks, strain. Drink tincture 1 teaspoon 3 times a day.
Elevated blood sugar. Rinse 0.5 cups of black sunflower seeds well, pour into a liter thermos and pour boiling water over it. Insist overnight, strain. Infusion to drink during the day, take before and after meals. The course of treatment - 2 weeks to take an infusion, 2 weeks - a break. To reduce sugar levels, conduct 3 such courses of treatment.
Prostatitis(prostate adenoma). With prostate adenoma, enemas at home from unrefined sediment can help sunflower oil. They need to be done within 10 days, gaining 100-150 g of oil with sediment into a heated enema.
Prostatitis(prostate adenoma). Rinse, peel and dry sunflower roots. Take a little less than a glass of dried roots and boil in 3 liters of water for enamel saucepan. Insist 3-4 hours and drink infusion of 1 liter per day.
Heel spur. Cut the cotton pulp of a ripe sunflower (the one that remains from the head after removing the greens and seeds), boil and attach the hot pieces to the heel. Cover with cellophane and wrap your leg with a warm scarf.
Senile cough. 1 part marginal flowers to 5 parts 70% alcohol, leave for 10 days, strain. Drink tincture 40-80 drops 30 minutes before meals 3 times a day.
angina pectoris(angina pectoris). 1 cup marginal sunflower flowers pour 1 liter of water, boil for 5 minutes, insist until cool, strain. Drink the infusion for 2 days in 6 doses.
Fibroma. 100 g of yellow sunflower petals pour 3 liters of vodka, leave for 14 days, strain. Take tincture 2-3 tablespoons 30 minutes before meals until the entire tincture is finished.

side effects when using sunflower, you can not be afraid.

Hello. Today's meeting involves a new acquaintance. Let's talk about unusual colors. This is an ornamental sunflower, growing it from seeds will undoubtedly be a pleasant pastime for you.

Perhaps you have seen fields sown with sunflowers, and if not, look at the photo: the spectacle is ardent and impressive. Few know that the usual technical culture has more than one and a half hundred decorative species.

A plant brought from America to Europe in the 16th century unusual flower called helianthus - a sunny flower. At first, the culture was grown because of its beauty, only then it began to be sown for Agriculture. Later, breeders bred decorative varieties.
Helianthus are grown all over the world. Bouquets are made of them, they become decoration landscape design, cultivated as indoor plant. Many varieties of decorative sunflower look so unusual that it is difficult to correlate them with the progenitor -. They differ:

different colors, flowers are white, cream, apricot, orange, burgundy, brown, yellow;
the shape of the flowers, which happen to be simple, semi-double and double;
flower size from 5 to 30 centimeters;
height. There are giant varieties that grow up to three meters, medium-sized - a meter and a half high, compact - grow up to 60 cm.

Please check out some of the popular helianthus varieties:

The most favorite variety of domestic gardeners is "Bear cub". Its height is not more than one meter, it has large double flowers of bright yellow color. Blooms from mid-summer to autumn.
"Red Sun" - a variety of domestic selection, known throughout the world. It blooms for a long time, the petals are red-brown, the height is up to two meters.
"Vanilla Ice" - a variety with vanilla-colored flowers is grown for bouquets.
'Moulin Rouge' has two-tone petals: red on the inside, yellow on the outside. The heart of this variety is black.
"Kong" - these sunflowers up to five meters high often form a hedge.
'Pacino' has attractive bright yellow flowers and is a very short growing plant.
"Big Smile" grows up to 30 cm, the flowers are yellow, the middle is black.
'Sunspot' is a dwarf-height cultivar with huge flowers.
'Music Box' has a whole inflorescence on one stem.

Planting in a flower bed and care

For planting choose a sunny place. Fertile soil will eliminate the need. Sharp gusts of wind can break fragile stems, choose a protected place. Decorative annuals are propagated by seeds. Their preparation is very simple:

make an aqueous solution of wood ash;
saturate the fabric with it;
wrap the seeds in it;
soak for a day, moisturizing the fabric if necessary

Sow directly in open ground or in seedling boxes. Growing seedlings makes sense only in regions with a cold climate and short summers.

In most areas, sunflowers are successfully bred by sowing seeds directly into open ground. Sow no deeper than 3 centimeters. The distance between plants depends on the variety: large sunflowers are placed 70 cm or more apart, smaller ones - 30-40 cm apart.
Landing time comes in early May. Shoots appear in a week. The culture begins to bloom in July and continues until October. Some flower growers, in order to please the helianthus with their flowering for as long as possible, sow them with an interval of two weeks.
The solar flower is unpretentious and requires simple care:

weekly watering if the soil dries out;
removal of weeds with simultaneous loosening.

Can be sustained longer when cut flower baskets before seeds are formed. The sunflower will have new buds and the flowering cycle will resume.

sunny flower on the windowsill

AT warm apartment culture will delight all year round. Caring for him is very simple, you can entrust even children. The first step is to choose a dwarf variety that is more suitable for growing on a windowsill.
Take the container, taking into account the size of the sunflower, so that you do not have to replant later - he does not like this procedure. You can buy a long container and plant several plants at once, or you can use a flower pot. For dwarf varieties Suitable for 40 cm diameter. For a sunflower of medium height, a box with a volume of 20 liters is needed.

Before planting, the pot must be disinfected to prevent diseases. At the bottom, make drainage from pebbles. Pour in the universal potting mix for flowers, not reaching the top of the container 2 centimeters.

It is possible, add humus 1: 1 to the soil to increase its fertility. There are also special crystals to support optimal moisture balance. Don't forget the bottom stand to collect excess water.
Sow the seeds to a depth of 2-3 cm and water well. Planting is carried out with two seeds in one hole, so that later the weaker plant can be removed. Continue watering every three days, observing soil moisture. After 3-8 days, sprouts will appear. Move the sunflowers to their permanent sunniest spot.

Protection against diseases and pests

Of particular danger are insects that eat away the inside of the stem and lead the plant to death. Do not forget to inspect sunflowers from time to time and, as soon as you notice pests, treat with insecticides. One treatment will destroy uninvited guests.
Plants can be subject to bacterial diseases:

downy mildew;
rust;
brown spotting.

The causative agent of dew is carried by insects, its occurrence is facilitated by high humidity both air and soil.

The inner side of the leaves is covered with a white coating, dark spots appear on the outer side.

To do without chemistry, you can use a folk remedy: 3 grams of copper sulfate and 25 grams of soap per liter of water. Plants are sprayed with a solution until the signs of the disease disappear.

Decorative sunflower often suffers from brown spotting. It can hit plants in the garden and. high air temperature and high humidity contribute to rapid development. Infection can occur from water, soil.

Signs: the appearance of round or oval spots on the leaves and stems, which then become dry. As soon as you notice, remove the affected areas. If a houseplant is sick, isolate it from others.

After you finish cutting off the affected areas, wipe the instrument and hands with alcohol. Cut wounds should be sprinkled with powder from activated carbon. Noticed in time, these measures will be enough to prevent further development of the disease.
In the case when it was not possible to extinguish the source of infection, the disease progresses, you will have to resort to antifungal chemicals.

Diseases can be prevented by adhering to: loosening the soil, removing weeds.