"-If we send out seeds in the fall and they don't plant them until spring, will the seeds still be good and will they grow?"

If you send packaged seeds, a very high % of the seeds Will germinate and grow. Packaged seeds will eliminate many possible problems with seed quality. Sunflower seeds have a very high germination rate. I planted 48 seeds in 24 containers for my brother this year and every one germinated & grew until I eliminated the weaker plant in each container.

"-Is there a type of sunflower that people could plant indoors and would grow?"

I'm not sure I would suggest that folks plant them indoors, though. If you pick 50 guests at random from your list of folks to invite, it's likely that only a very few would have the ability to time the planting & rear the seeds so they are in a condition to be planted after danger of frost is past. Sunflowers require plenty of light & don't like to be over-watered. Plants from seed require some careful attention to cultural conditions.

Perhaps you could suggest planting outdoors on a particular date (research required on your part to determine, by zone, planting time). If most of the people you invite live near you, you could ask the Extension Office how developed the plants will be at the time of the wedding (or ask a farmer near you who grows them), so you could tell those you invite what to look for as your wedding draws near.

Best of everything to you and your (soon to be) new mate.

Al

Cograts on your engagement!

It's now the end of(well begining of August) July. Take a look around at your'e neighbors gardens. Have you seen sunflowers in their yards? Some bloom in late August, Mine are blooming now. Ask around like Tapla suggested.

Even if they don't bloom at the right time it's still a really cool idea to send seeds to people.

Heather

This is such a cute idea! My boyfriend and I just got engaged on Saturday. I just might borrow your idea!!

You could put directions with the seeds and have your guests do a modified winter-sowing type experiment. Tell them to get a clear container, fill with soil, plant the seeds, then set outside in April. Keep the containers watered and they will sprout. Mine germinated while we still had some snow outside and I'm in zone 5/6. Then plant when they have their second set of leaves.

Tracy

I would suggest planting them directly out in the ground...if they are blooming now in Michigan, there is little need to start them early for a wedding in July. You just have to determine when it is safe to direct sow them in the zone where you/others live. They are sun and heat loving plants, so don't go for too early. The birds keep them planted in our yard, flower beds, and containers.

If you are planning on the giant sunflowers, they may not want more than 3 or 4 seeds if they live in a city. I have seen my DH get out a chain saw for some we have grown...you might want to consider the shorter varieties. ;O)

Indoors? No, they will grow but they will be droopy, weak things. Sunflowers require lots of... sun to grow sturdy.

The idea is a nice one though. What percentage of the recipients do you expect will grow them? The good news about sunflowers is they can be sown anytime and will grow when the weather is right. Sowing in the fall probably isn't a good idea as they will germinate right before winter freezes come, but they can pretty much be tossed onto snow and be expected to grow in spring when it is warm enough. Just ask anyone with a bird feeder ;-)

They will look tall in skinny inside...i've tried it before. Unless you've got 1000watts of metal halide, you better recommend planting outside. They will however, grow in larger containers. I've noticed that the roots of a sunflower aren't big compared to say a tomato. I like to soak my seeds (in water) before planting.

If you check on the back of a pack of sunflower seeds most will tell you how long it takes to germinate and some will tell you how long until it flowers. Some sunflowers can take several weeks to germinate, but a user in here (luciecat) seems to have stumbled upon a way to get them to sprout in about 3 days! So that would shorten the time and also would make it easier for folks who have trouble with seeds or lack the patience to wait for them to sprout. Here is a link to that message thread.

Here is a link that might be useful: 3-Day Sunflowers