Every yard should have sunflowers! They're one of the easiest and most rewarding flowers to grow from seed. In addition to the familiar yellow, flower colors include peach, bronze, red, and multi-toned. Sizes range from dwarf varieties growing 18 to 24 inches high to 15-foot-tall giants; seed packets will tell you the mature height. Here's how to grow these beauties:

1. Prepare. Loosen soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches using a shovel or tiller. Mix in some compost or slow-release fertilizer to provide plants with nutrients. Then rake the soil smooth, removing any large clumps and rocks.

2. Plant. Sow sunflower seeds about an inch deep and 6 inches apart. Either poke a hole with your finger and place the seed in the hole, or use a hoe to create a shallow furrow. Cover seed with soil and press gently.

3. Grow. Water soil to keep it moist, and pull weeds that sprout nearby. Once seedlings are a few inches tall, thin them by removing extra plants so the remaining ones are about a foot apart. Apply organic mulch, like bark chips, to control weeds and conserve soil moisture, keeping the mulch an inch or two from stems.

4. Enjoy. Sit back and enjoy these beauties in your garden, or harvest a bouquet of sunshine to enjoy indoors.

AT A GLANCE

Exposure: Full sun

Planting time: After last spring frost

Planting depth: 1 inch deep

Spacing in row: 6 inches apart; thin to 1 foot apart.

Time to flower : 45 to 70 days, depending on variety.

Dwarf varieties grow well in containers.

Sunflowers are great for bouquets.