Last Valentine’s Day, my daughter’s kindergarten class had a wonderful idea to create seed packets filled with sunflower seeds. As a parent, I was thrilled to help out, and together with the other parents, we spent an afternoon decorating the packets and carefully filling them with the promise of future tall sunflowers.
What I didn’t know was that the class had a secret plan. During the Spring Festival at the end of the year, the children and their teachers decided to plant the sunflower seeds around the kindergarten playyard. They carefully prepared the soil, making sure each seed had the best possible chance to grow into the tallest sunflower.
As the school year came to a close, the children said their goodbyes, not knowing the surprise of towering tall sunflowers that awaited them when they returned in the fall.
Months passed, and summer took hold. While the children enjoyed their break, the sunflower seeds were quietly growing, reaching towards the sun and transforming the once-bare playyard.
When the first day of the new school year arrived, my daughter and her classmates were in for an incredible surprise. As they approached the kindergarten, they were greeted by such a sight—the entire playyard was encapsulated by a fence of beautiful, tall sunflowers!
The children gasped in awe, their eyes wide with wonder. The sunflowers had grown to impressive heights, some even taller than the teachers! These were certainly the tallest sunflowers the kids had ever seen. The vibrant yellow petals swayed gently in the breeze, creating a magical and inviting atmosphere.
The teachers explained to the children how their Valentine’s Day seed packets had been planted during the Spring Festival, and how the sunflowers had grown into these tall beauties over the summer. The children were thrilled to realize that they had played a part in creating this incredible display of nature’s beauty.
It was such a magical experience that I decided that I, too, wanted to encapsulate my yard in a fence of the tallest sunflowers I could find! I already have a fence, so I wanted to find the tallest sunflower varieties, so these are the three tall sunflowers I used, which we included in our recent Sunflower Gardening in America GuideBook.
American Giant Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus American Giant) are renowned for their impressive stature and massive flower heads, making them a standout feature in any garden or landscape. As their name suggests, these sunflowers are characterized by their towering height, often reaching heights of 10 to 15 feet or more, with flower heads that can measure up a foot or more across. This sunflower variety is popular for gardeners who like to enter their plants in competitions. These sunflowers are also a big hit with kids because of their size. The large, bright yellow blooms with dark centers are not only visually striking but also attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. They mature in 70-80 days.
Russian Mammoth Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus Russian Mammoth) are iconic giants of the sunflower world, known for their towering height and massive flower heads. These sunflowers can reach impressive heights of 8-12 feet or more, with flower heads that can measure up to a foot or more in diameter. The blooms feature bright yellow petals surrounding a dark central disk, attracting pollinators such as bees and birds. Russian Mammoth Sunflowers are not only visually stunning but also produce edible seeds, making them a favorite among gardeners and wildlife enthusiasts alike. They’re well worth the wait of 100 days until the plants reach maturity.
Skyscraper Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus Skyscraper) are an impressive variety of sunflowers known for their towering height and large, vibrant blooms. These sunflowers can reach astonishing heights, often exceeding 10 feet tall, making them a striking addition to any garden or landscape. The flowers themselves are typically large (up to 14 inches across) and golden-yellow, with dark centers that attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies. They need about 70-75 days to reach maturity.
As a parent, I was deeply touched by the kindergarten teachers’ dedication and the children’s enthusiasm. This sunflower surprise will forever remain a wonderful memory of her last year of early childhood.
It also reminds me of our story, Secret Sunflowers, by Mary Anglin-Coulter from GreenPrints issue 123, a heartwarming story about a mother and her three daughters who are moving out of their beloved home after divorce. Despite the difficult circumstances, the family takes the time to plant sunflower seeds along the fence of their backyard as a secret surprise for the new owners, at the suggestion of the youngest daughter, Madi. Months later, the family drives by their old house and discovers that the sunflowers have grown tall, bringing joy and closure to their chapter in that home.
Another sunflower favorite is A Four-Year-Old’s Sunflower, from issue 114 where a curious and determined four-year-old girl learns about the process of a seed turning into a flower from a library book. Inspired, she decides to plant her own garden using a snack pack of sunflower seeds. She carefully prepares the soil, plants the seeds, and then reveals her “secret weapon”—milk and Flintstones vitamins—which she believes will help her garden grow. The next day, to the narrator’s surprise, a beautiful sunflower appears in the girl’s garden. The girl’s mother later admits that she had secretly replaced the seeds with a fully-grown sunflower plant, knowing that she will eventually have to explain the truth to her daughter, but cherishing the joy and pride on her daughter’s face for now.
Do you have any heartwarming stories or memories involving sunflowers? Maybe you’ve grown an impressively tall sunflower or been surprised by a thoughtful sunflower-related gesture. Share your sunflower stories and experiences in the comments below—we’d love to hear them!
