A lot of people use gardening as a form of therapy.

Being surrounded by nature, especially in your own home, can help with a person’s physical and mental health.

If you decide to follow their lead and build your own garden in your home or your community, there are several types of gardens you can build.

Vegetable gardens are the most common and the most fun to maintain.

And it’s so rewarding when the fruits of your labor bloom and you can literally eat it.

Succulent gardens are a good idea for those who want to dip their toe in the water first.

You can start with a small succulent and make it work. Eventually, you can stick to building a succulent garden or mix it up with other plants.

You can build bamboo gardens, rock gardens, vertical gardens, or fairy gardens. There is no limit to what anyone can garden.

There is one garden that a lot of people like to build in their homes or communities, flower gardens.

A lot of gardeners, professional or amateur, love flowers because they add color and beauty to an otherwise drab location. Have you noticed that? Buildings become brighter with the sight of flowers in the lobby.

When one starts a flower garden, experts always advice starting small. Get used to it first before you commit and invest. Start with small ones, the easy ones, and then advance to the more complicated flowers.

And once you’ve grown your flower garden and improved your gardening skills, it’s time to plant different floral varieties.

One type of flower to experiment with is Helianthus annuus or more commonly known as Coconut Ice Sunflower.

Coconut Ice Sunflowers are still similar to the usual Yellow Sunflowers but their petals first come out as creamy vanilla and then become white. These flowers usually grow up to 5′ high and, on rare occasions, up to 10′ high.

Expert gardeners highly recommend planting the seeds right after the winter season. It’ll then start to sprout within seven to ten days.

But if winter season ends late, don’t fret. You still have until May to plant the seeds and you’ll still have a few weeks before they’re ready to be harvested between June to September.

There are several things to consider when planting Coconut Ice Sunflowers.

1. Position in the garden

Coconut Ice Sunflowers need to be planted on well-drained soil and with direct exposure to the sun. They are sunflowers, after all. Since they grow at least 4′ tall, make sure that they located in an open area of the garden, particularly the north part. This way, they get enough sun and they won’t cover the other smaller flowers from getting access to sunlight.

2. Organic compost

It’s always a great idea to add organic compost to the soil. This will help the flower grow with much-needed nutrients and maintain the ideal pH level of the soil.

3. Keep evenly moist

When watering, keep the soil firm and evenly moist. As long as the soil is well maintained with compost, the Coconut Ice Sunflowers can survive drought.

4. Keep it apart

Make sure that the seeds are planted 18 to 24 inches apart to give them room to grow. After seven to ten days, seedlings will emerge.

Are you excited to add Coconut Ice Sunflowers to your garden now?

Remember to remove them in the fall when the frost kills the plant. This is to avoid having any disease issues the next planting season.

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Source: Bolde, Home Stratosphere, The Spruce, Plants of Distinction, Totally The Bomb, Burpee