It is now a good time to consider planting sunflowers in many regions of southern Australia, especially in coastal areas where there is a milder climate. FleuroSun sunflower hybrids have quite good cold tolerance and whilst germination and seedling emergence in August /September may be a bit slower than in Summer, most plants should be out of the ground within 2 weeks. In areas where frosts are likely in October, buds can be affected - so hold off planting there until October. Dr Keith White from Copsley Ornamentals has already planted sunflowers at his home on the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne.
A major advantage of planting in August /September is that roots can utilise winter /spring rainfall to put their roots down, which results in strong, tough plants; whilst plants should have good flowering displays by early November. For branched hybrids such as FleuroSun Summer Spray & Sonnet, plant 40-50cm apart to maximise branching, bud numbers and flowering times. Of especial interest should be Copsley Ornamentals new range of Compact FleuroSun hybrids, such as Compact Landscape, Compact Orange Spray & Compact Calypso Spray; whilst FleuroSun Dwarf hybrids such as Dwarf Gold Spray & Dwarf Ice Spray are excellent in borders and in pots.
The full range of FleuroSun hybrids is available for viewing and purchase on the FleuroSun website.