Sunflower

Looking after it

Water: They need normal watering. In dry spells, water well at the base of the stem. Tall kinds must not dry out. Plants in pots need water more often, every day in hot weather. Feeding: Average feeding is right. Dig compost into the bed before sowing. Once flower buds form, give a liquid feed rich in potassium, such as tomato feed, every two weeks. It gives you bigger flowers.

Cutting and after flowering

For the vase, cut them in the morning as the petals start to open. For seed, leave the head on until its back turns brown. Cover it with a paper bag or a net to keep the birds off. Then cut it and dry it indoors. A cut stem lasts about a week in a vase. Change the water every couple of days. Dry seed keeps for months somewhere cool, dry and dark.

What can go wrong

• Slugs and snails. Young plants get eaten down to the stem overnight. Put a collar round each seedling, or start them in pots and plant them out once they are sturdy.
• Birds. Birds dig up the seed after sowing or pick the ripening heads clean. Cover new sowings with netting. Put a bag over the heads you want to keep.
• Falling over. Tall stems lean or snap in wind or after rain. Tie them to a strong cane early on, or grow them against a wall or fence.