Sunflower “Soraya” is an award-winning new arrival. It is the first Sunflower ever to win an AAS award and it also scooped up a Fleuroselect Quality Mark!

“Soraya” produces lovely rich tangerine-orange flowers with dark brown centres. This branching sunflower is prized for cut flower arrangements, producing 20 to 25 flowers from each plant during the long bloom season.
Soraya is the 'big sister' to Sonja both having similar flower colours, but Soraya has larger flowers and even thicker, sturdier stems. The vigorous, self-supporting plants stand 150 to 180cm (5 to 6ft) tall and will not blow over, even in full bloom.
The 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) flowers arise on sturdy stems, held well above the lush foliage. They will bloom in 80 to 90 days from sowing seed.

Sunflowers are the kings of the natural sunny summer garden, attracting butterflies and birds. They're wonderfully easy to grow--just direct-sow the large seeds after all danger of frost. Not picky about soil type but they do need direct sun.
Thin the plants 60 to 120cm (2 to 4ft) apart so that they can show off their foliage a bit as they grow.

Sowing:

Sowing Indoors:
For early flowers, start indoors as early as February or March, to germinate in about 10 days at 60 to 65°F and plant out in April or May.
Use 7.5cm (3in) pots and a good sowing compost. Sow one seed 2.5mm (1in) deep per pot. Water and cover with either polythene or bubble plastic to retain the heat, or place pots on a heated bench or in a propagator with the temperature set at 13°C (55°F).
Remove the covers when the leaves appear. Plant seedlings outside when they are large enough to be handled and the root system is well developed. Add garden compost to the soil if it is heavy or infertile.

Sowing Direct:
Plant outside as early as possible to miss heavy frosts, to germinate in about 1 to 3 weeks, in mid-April through mid-May. Sow seed 5cm (2in) deep and spaced 45cm (18in) apart in borders. Water seedlings regularly and, when growing tall forms, feed sparingly with a liquid fertiliser when 60cm (2ft) high. Over-fertilization can cause stem breakage in the autumn. Avoid splashing water or fertiliser solution on the stems or leaves.

Harvesting Cut Flowers:
For continuity, sow a succession of sunflowers every fortnight for six weeks in the early part of the growing season. In a hot summer, each cycle from sowing to blooming will take about 60 days.
For the vase, cut the fresh flowers in the morning just after they open, but wait until the sun has dried the dew. Remove leaves that are low on the stem, leaving just two or three higher up, near the flower's face. Place the flowers in a bucket filled with water, and leave them to stand for several hours in a cool room before placing in a vase.
Use a clean knife, a clean vase and a few drops of bleach in the water to keep it fresh. Change the water every few days. Blooms can last up to a fortnight when kept in water.
Beware of slugs when they are still young plants and birds stealing the seeds.

Harvesting Seed:
To dry sunflower seeds, cut the heads off when they begin to yellow at the back and hang them upside down in a dry location away from rodents and birds. Once dry, rub the seeds off and soak overnight in 4 litres 1 gal) of water with 1 cup of salt in it. Dry in a 250°F oven for 4 to 5 hours and store in an airtight container. The black-seeded varieties are mainly for oil and birdseed. The grey and white-striped varieties are for drying and eating.

Nomenclature:
The Latin name for Sunflower, Helianthus annuus, is taken from the Greek helios, meaning sun, and anthos, meaning flower. The Sunflower originated from South America and represented the sun to worshiping Aztec people; it was brought to Europe in the late sixteenth century.
Today the Sunflower is grown for crops in the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, Argentina, India and the USA.