How to Care for Fresh Cut Sunflowers

About Sunflowers

Sunflowers are very striking and beautiful flowers that come in a variety of sizes. Some sunflowers can grow as high as 10ft and the flower head can span as wide as 12 inches in diameter. They are annual plants native to the Americas noticeable by their large flowering head, that most resembles the sun.

The Sunflower plants have extraordinary development patterns when they are grown in a garden. In bud stage the sunflower exhibits heliotropism, in which the plant motions toward the sun. As the sun rises the faces of most sunflowers are turned towards the east. During the course of the day, sunflowers follow the sun from east to west, while at night they return to an eastward orientation.

While having sunflowers in an outdoor garden can be fun to have and cultivate, nonetheless a bouquet of fresh cut sunflowers can be equally as stunning to have in your home to add a little indoor sunshine. Below are some general care tips for your fresh sunflowers.

Care Tips for Fresh Cut Sunflowers

If your sunflowers arrived in a box you will want to find a container or a vase to put them in. Your sunflowers may appear depleted upon arrival, but are just in need of plenty of water and care. Sunflowers can drink a lot of water. Be sure to have a vase that holds plenty of water and can support the weight of the flowers. They are best displayed so that there are only a few inches of stem that shows above the rim of the vase.

General Care

1. Fill a clean vase or container with fresh water and add a floral preservative such as AquaPlus or FloraLife to the vase. Floral preservative helps to prevent bacteria growth and feeds your flowers insuring a longer vase life.


2. Take your fresh cut sunflowers and placed them under water and cut the stems 1/2" from the base under water using a sharp knife. Remove any foliage that may become submerged after re-cutting. Repeat this step with every water change.


3. Place your sunflowers in a tall vase to provide adequate support for their height.


4. It's recommended that you place your flowers in a cool room to condition for a few hours after arranging


5. Temperature is an important factor in the vase life of cut sunflowers. So display your fresh cut sunflowers in a cool area, out of direct sunlight and away from drafts and heat.


6. Continue to remove spent leaves to keep bouquet looking fresh longer.

Sunflowers in Season

Sunflowers are very popular flowers that are available all year round in many floral shops. Only a few of the more than 70 different varieties of sunflowers are sold in the floral business. They range in sizes and shades of tinted yellow to an orange hue. The most widely used Sunflowers in flower shops include the natural yellow and the tinted sunflower. Regular Sunflower bunches are usually 36" or longer and the flower heads vary in size depending on the time of year, with the summer months producing the largest flower heads.

Related Video - Growing and Caring for Sunflowers Outdoors

How to Grow & Care for Outdoor Sunflowers -- powered by eHow.com

See all fresh cut Sunflowers