Sunflower Weekend, 25th - 27th August
11am - 5pm

Sunflower Weekend celebrated one of the most well-known, best-loved and one of the largest flowering plant families in the world.
Tom led guided tours of the World Garden, showing visitors Lullingstone’s sunflower collection as well as testing their knowledge with ‘Did you know?’ questions.

Visitors also enjoyed Lullingstone’s very own bee hives, where there is a display explaining what beekeeping is all about. They provide much-valued pollination for the World Garden's flowers.

The World Garden has a beautiful selection of sunflowers. The Teddy Bear Sunflower (left) and the Earthwalker Sunflower (below right).

Sunflowers, otherwise known as Helianthus, are part of the ginormous Asteraceae family and don’t just include the annual sunflowers such as the world famous Helianthus annuus, originating from the sunshine state of Florida (also known as the Flora Margarine Sunflower and grown commercially in countries such as France). The sunflower family also includes a range of stunning perennials that have such longevity in the flower power department – lasting from early summer to the last frosts – and are only now starting to become popular.

Visitors particularly enjoyed hearing about Jerusalem’s Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus); people couldn’t believe it was a sunflower. If you eat the tuber by peeling it and boiling it for a soup, it aids digestion. As a result however, it often gives rise to large doses of flatulence.

Tom says,

"All Sunflowers come from North America but on my guided tours I showed visitors their relations from all over the planet. I love Sunflowers because whatever the weather, whatever your mood, they put a smile on my horticulturally lined face! And the bees love them too!"