Yes, it's an odd time of year to be talking about sunflower plants. You typically think of them in a summer field with those massive yellow flower heads waving in the breeze.

However once the blooms finish those big flower heads will turn into a massive repository of sunflower seeds. Flowers like this are important for feeding the birds during fall migration and into early winter.

Your seed catalog should have started to arrive now and so this is the time to pick up the varieties you would like to grow for next year. Not all varieties of sunflowers produces massive seed heads. Some are more for looks.

The Helianthus is mostly native to North and Central America. Most are annuals in our area however their sturdy stems can stay standing until the weight of snow causes them to topple.

In addition to the common yellow they come in all sorts of colors from orange through bronze, creamy white and maroon. Some have many rows of petals and some only have a single layer. Some are multi-stem with many flowers branching from the main stalk. Some even look like marigolds.

Depending on the variety of the plants can grow anywhere from 1 to 18 ft in height and flowers can grow from 2 to 18 inches across.

Just be sure to protect your tender seedlings from birds and wildlife because everything will eat them. Once they're sturdier you still need to protect them from the deer.

They do make a beautiful garden backdrop so start planning now.