I lived in Germany in the 1990’s. The town I lived in was celebrating it’s 1,250 anniversary. It was hard to wrap my head around the town being almost one thousand years older than America. At least two major wars had been fought on Germany’s soil and yet the town was beautiful and filled with flowers, gardens and window boxes.
We lived in the Rhineland where a lot of the farming was done and vineyards grew with grapes covering their hills.(See backstory/blooper of gigantic hill) Often there would be huge fields completely covered in sunflowers that were four or five feet tall. It was beautiful but I couldn’t understand why a farmer would purposely forgo a crop to have a field of sunflowers. Granted, sunflowers are grand additions to any view. Their tall stalks soar over our heads, and brighten landscapes.
Thinking back to my grandmother’s garden, I remembered that she also had giant sunflowers dotting her garden. Though I’ve always loved sunflowers for their beauty (and seeds), lately I’m curious about their other properties.
So, are they helpful or harmful? For the most part, they are uniquely helpful!
Sunflowers can assist in pollination, soil health, and plant growth. These golden beauties, however, have downfalls to consider before planting. To get started, let’s take a look at the pros (and cons) sunflowers bring for a healthier, brighter garden!
Pollination
Pro: Attracts Pollinators (woo! hoo!)
Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators are essential to a healthy garden. These buzzing creatures carry nectar from your plants and pollinate the rest. As a result, we get more produce from our gardens, and more helpful bugs on Earth!
Sunflowers contain sweet, warm nectar in their disc florets. Disc florets are, interestingly enough, smaller flowers within the sunflower head. This is where the sunflower’s pollination process starts. From here, pollen will travel down to the flowers’ ovary, and begins germination!
Naturally, the sunflower relies on pollination, which is where helpful insects come in. The sunflower’s protein-rich nectar attracts essential pollinators (like bees!). Yet, this nectar also attracts pollen-carriers like butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds.
These insects feed on nectar for important nutrients. With the rich protein of a sunflower, you’ll attract tons of helpful pollinators to your garden! These bugs, you will find, are essential to a healthy garden.
As the bees and butterflies search for nectar, the pollen gets stuck to their furry bodies. They then carry pollen to other plants, and encourage seed production. Instinctively, this will act as a fertilizer to any produce, herb, or flower these bugs visit.
(More pollen carriers = more plant reproduction!)
Con: Attracts Harmful Insects
Although sunflowers attract helpful insects, they may also bring aphids and whiteflies. These produce honeydew, which may cause fungal diseases on plants.
What’s more, a drastic increase in caterpillar population may damage your sunflowers. This is especially true if you plan on creating a butterfly community (more below).
To avoid these downfalls of sunflowers, try to:
- Avoid harmful garden chemicals. Although they will harm some harmful insects, they will also harm useful ones! (Also, whiteflies are resistant to these chemicals.) Instead, use natural methods of removal for better garden health.
- Attract natural predators. Insects such as ladybugs, spiders, and dragonflies can control aphids and whiteflies. (You can do this by adding a pond or water feature to your garden.)
- Plant chives! Chives are a great companion plant for sunflowers. These plants help repel aphids.
- Use a D.I.Y deterrent. First, spray plants with water to scatter insects. Then, spray both sides of leaves with a D.I.Y soap (I recommend dish soap and water). This will help decrease harmful insect populations.
- Physically remove caterpillars. If you have an excessive caterpillar population, scatter them throughout your garden. With more diversity, they will stop overly-feeding on one area.
Pro: Promotes Pollinator Health + Reproduction
Studies show that bee populations are decreasing due to common diseases. Certain pathogens, such as Crithidia bombi and Nosema ceranae, are a risk for bee populations. Scientists, however, have discovered a promising cure: sunflower pollen.
Sunflower pollen reduces harmful pathogens in several bee species. (Including honey bees and bumblebees). This protects them from contracting diseases that are depleting their populations.
When ingested, it also increases worker bee mortality rates and their Queen’s fertility. The sunflower’s pollen not only fights diseases, but reduces stress levels in bees. This means, longer-living bees with bigger colonies! So, not only do sunflowers provide food, they also flourish bee health and longevity.
What’s more, sunflowers act more than food sources for some pollinators. Butterflies may rely on these flowers for shelter and nesting. The sunflowers’ large, tall head provides an ideal location for butterfly eggs. Since these flowers provide food for caterpillars, it encourages butterflies to live nearby.
And so, this is another way to promote your local pollinator population. If you’re an avid bee-lover (like me), growing sunflowers are an easy way to support bee colonies. By providing shelter, food, and health benefits, these bright flowers are a great way to help out local insects.
Soil Health
Pro: Detoxifies Soil
Sunflowers are considered allelopathic plants. These plants release allelochemicals, which inhibit the growth of certain plants. Luckily, however, this includes weeds!
In addition to allopathy, sunflowers are also considered hyperaccumulator plants. Which have the unique ability of soaking high amounts of toxic materials. A sunflower’s roots pull lead, copper, and radioactive materials from the surrounding area.
Lead is the most common contaminant for our gardens, especially in urban areas. (Or, anywhere that has high amounts of traffic and gasoline use!) Other heavy metals can intrude our soil from air pollution. This is where a sunflower’s unique characteristics can greatly benefit soil health.
In fact, sunflowers are used in lead-dense lands in efforts to reduce harmful pollutants. In one study, the sunflowers reduced the amount of lead by 43%! They were also planted in Hiroshima, Fukushima, and Chernobyl in an attempt to soak up radiation.
(Who knew these rays of sunshine had such significant jobs?)
A sunflower’s deep roots also allows for more broken up soil. This allows for beneficial bacteria to thrive, making our soil even healthier!
Therefore, by planting sunflowers into our garden beds, we can reduce toxins and promote richness. This improves the health of our produce, soil, and lives!
Con: Potentially Harmful
Though sunflowers have beneficial properties, there are some set-backs. The flower’s allelopathic chemicals weaken a plant’s ability to grow. This is especially true for potatoes, which are sensitive to this chemical.
This effect, however, can be avoided by appropriate companion planting. Ideally, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and plenty of other produce are great companions for sunflowers.
Pairing the right plants together can result in healthier soil, bigger yield production, and more. (It is always significant to consider which plants help each other thrive!)
Plant Growth
Pro: Natural Shade and Trellis
Sunflowers also provide ample shade for their companion plants. These flowers can shoot up to 5-12 feet! Certain produce, such as lettuce and beets, thrive in shade. In these situations, sunflowers promote symbiotic, or mutually beneficial relationships. (Here is a complete list of companion plants!)
If you’re looking for the ultimate organic trellis, look no further! The large, long stalks of sunflowers are perfect for vining companion plants. Pole beans, cucumbers, and other climbing plants can use sunflowers for support.
Ideally, this trellis is used in less-windy areas (as your sunflower may topple over!) These vining produce will need assistance in wrapping around the stalk, at first. However, once they start to grow, they will wrap around the sunflower themselves!
This unique idea promotes mutual growth in the garden, and adds another purpose for the multi-faceted sunflower.
Closing Thoughts
Although sunflowers can be pervasive in some circumstances, their unique abilities outweigh their downfalls. The sunflower can attract helpful, buzzing pollinators to our gardens (and local ecosystem). Also, they have the unique abilities of soaking toxic pollutants from our soil, and providing shade for our produce.
Aside from their beauty, then, sunflowers have a sundry of benefits. Especially if you are looking to provide a natural weed repellent, or clean up an urban garden. When planted correctly, these flowers are not invasive, but rather supportive. Just like any plant, they only ask for the right environments for them to grow.
I don’t know if my Grandmother knew all the benefits of sunflowers, but after finding out what a powerhouse flower they are, I’m glad her memory inspired me to plant some in my garden.
I’d love to see your garden and hear how your crops remind you of those you love!
Happy Planting!
DeeAnn- The Victory Garden Gal
With Britany Haas
Research Articles
Beauchemin, Molly. “Scientists Are Using Sunflowers To Clean Up Nuclear Radiation”. Garden Collage Magazine, Garden Collage, 12 May 2016. https://gardencollage.com/change/sustainability/scientists-using-sunflowers-clean-nuclear-radiation/
Kulikowski, Mick. “Sunflower Pollen Has Medicinal, Protective Effects on Bees”. NC State University, NC State, 26 September 2018. https://news.ncsu.edu/2018/09/sunflower-pollen-protects-bees/
Morse, Sarah. “Do Sunflowers Harm or Help a Garden?” Home Guides, SFGATE, n.a. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/sunflowers-harm-garden-61282.html
Sanders, Carrie. “Sunflowers Enrich Soil Health and Communities”. Food & Water Stories, The Nature Conservancy, 08 December 2018. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/provide-food-and-water-sustainably/food-and-water-stories/sunflowers-enrich-soil-health-and-communities/ Walker, Charlotte. “The Benefits of Sunflowers in the Vegetable Garden”. WalkerLand, Wildwood Consulting, 2 August 2016. https://www.walkerland.ca/amp/the-benefits-of-sunflowers-in-the-vegetable-garden/