Tips on Cutting Sunflowers for Bouquets

Sunflowers are great for summertime bouquets but to get the most out of your cut flowers, you should follow a few simple steps. When sunflowers are cut using the following steps, blooms can last up to 10 days indoors!
Step 1 - Select the Best Flowers to Cut
The best sunflowers to use for cut flowers have multiple branching stems and flowers. Some sunflowers don't make pollen and will make less mess on your table. Also, the standard, yellow/orange sunflowers tend to last longer in the vase than the varieties with dark petals or dark petal bases. They shed petals usually in less than 1 week.Step 2 - Cut at the Right Stage of Development
Cut them when the the petals, or ray flowers, just begin to open and before they have opened off the face completely.Step 3 - Timing of the Cut
The best time to cut your sunflowers is early in the morning or late in the day. Don't cut in the heat of the day, flowers will wilt and won't last as long in the vase.
Joel, you can’t stop pollen from dropping. You can choose varieties that do not produce pollen.
How do you stop pollen from dropping from sunflowers after being cut?
Carol, you want to look for varieties that have multiple flowers and not just one big one. I would look at some of the Renee’s Garden varieties. There are more ornamental ones to choose from.
I need sunflowers with a thinner stalk for a bouquet I am making. Can you recommend a variety.
Kathy, sounds like you may be cutting a sunflower that is really meant to grow for seed. There are varieties that are best for bouquets and those that are best for seed. If you do cut one that is best for seed, it needs to be cut early, before the seeds have developed. You will not get seeds from those heads.