Sunflowers that make the cut - smaller and easy-to-grow sunflowers

NEW COMPACT VARIETIES DELIVER BIG IN A VASE AND ARE A CINCH TO GROW

There's no flower quite so impressive as the Gargantuan 'Russian Mammoth' sunflower, its 12-inch blooms towering 12 feet above the garden. That's exactly where such a beast belongs - in the garden. Oh sure, there will be those who insist on bringing a bouquet of giant sunflowers indoors. It's not impossible, assuming you own a vase made of lead and a house large enough to contain the flowers' freakish proportions. But for most of us, 'Mammoth' sunflowers, as well as their signature seeds, are for the birds.

Fortunately, giant sunflowers (sometimes called 'Mammoth', sometimes 'Giant'; either name sometimes paired with 'Russian', sometimes not) aren't the only variety on the market. In fact, the trend in sunflowers is toward smaller, more manageable varieties bred for cutting. Although many of these plants can still get quite tall (8 feet is not uncommon), a few varieties never get bigger than 3 feet, making them perfect for small spaces and even containers.

Sunflowers are a cinch to grow and easy to find. Better nurseries sell a half-dozen or so varieties, and catalogs offer even more. Don't be surprised, though, if the sunflowers you grow don't match the printed descriptions of plant height and flower size. The same variety will vary from garden to garden depending on plant spacing, soil fertility, and water.

SINGLE-STEM VERSUS MULTIFLOWERING VARIETIES

Two groups of sunflowers make good cut flowers. The first comprises single-stem varieties such as the new hybrids 'Sunrich Lemon' and 'Sunrich Orange', which produce one great flower per plant, followed by lesser blossoms. Single-stem plants grow and bloom at the same rate, making them a favorite of commercial growers. If you choose a single-stem variety, plant now and successively every two weeks through the summer for continuous bloom.

The second group includes varieties with multiple flowering branches, including creamy yellow 'Valentine' and hardy 'Daisetsuzan'. Unlike single-stem varieties, each plant produces bunches of flowers. These varieties grow best when spaced 18 inches to 3 feet apart. Multiflowering plants look great in the garden longer than single-stem plants because they bloom over an extended period, although the first flowers are often the nicest. Since the leaves start to look shabby before the last flowers open, you may want to plant a couple of crops during the summer and pull the older plants as they decline.

Red sunflowers. Choosing which variety to grow is largely a matter of taste. You don't even have to like yellow. One of the most talked-about new varieties is 'Prado Red', touted as the first all-red sunflower, though its petals are actually deep rust and its disks are brown. This multiflowering plant grows 3 1/2 to 6 feet tall with 4- to 6-inch blooms on long stems to 21 inches. A larger reddish multiflowering sunflower is 'Velvet Queen', with 4- to 8-inch flowers on plants that can reach 8 feet.

Double blooms. Another surprising group consists of sunflowers with double flowers, ranging in color from calendula orange to yellow. Because their disks are hidden well inside the blooms, the flowers resemble large chrysanthemums. 'Orange Sun' is a new single-stem variety that grows to 8 feet. Two multiflowering varieties are 'Teddy Bear' (to 3 feet tall) and 'Double Sun Gold' (to 4 feet).

Mixed varieties. Choose a mix if you like to experiment or have limited space. Tall mixes include 'Autumn Beauty', 'Color Fashion Mixed', and 'Inca Jewels'. 'Music Box' is a dwarf mix with 4- to 5-inch blossoms on 28- to 36-inch plants. All have petals in autumnal shades and are multiflowering.

Pollen-free. Perhaps the most house-friendly sunflowers are the pollen-free ones, including new hybrids like 'Sunbeam', 'Sunbright', 'Sunrich Lemon', and 'Sunrich Orange'. All are single-stem plants, grow to around 6 feet, and won't leave pollen all over the place when flowers are brought indoors.

GROWING TIPS

Depending on the variety you choose and the time of year you plant, sunflowers take 10 to 14 weeks from sowing to cutting. The quick payoff means you can plant throughout the summer.

Sow sunflower seeds in full sun. You can also start them in flats to protect vulnerable seedlings from birds and snails. However you do it, keep birds and snails at bay by using fabric row covers or netting. And remember that sunflowers follow the sun, so place the plants in the garden where you can enjoy their cheery faces.

Finally, don't pamper sunflowers. They grow fine in most soils, and too much fertilizer results in bushy plants with woody stems and fewer, smaller flowers. Don't overwater, either. To help prevent diseases such as rust, avoid wetting the foliage.

SEED SOURCES

Catalogs are free unless noted. Ferry-Morse and Thompson & Morgan seeds are available in nurseries.

* The Cook's Garden; (802) 824-3400. Catalog $1.

* Liberty Seed Company; (800) 541-6022.

* Shepherd's Garden Seeds; (408) 335-6910.

* Stokes Seeds; (716) 695-6980.