Strawberry Thief is one of William Morris's most popular designs, inspired by thrushes stealing strawberries from the kitchen garden of his countryside home. This elegant design, re-coloured in a striking brown makes for a stunning addition to any bedroom. Retaining the intricate detail of the original, Strawberry Thief's duvet is available in four sizes: single, double, king and super king.

The standard pillowcase also features the reverse print. Complement the bed with the Sunflower embroidered cushion and a quilted cotton throw in the silver colouway. Strawberry Thief Bedding in Indigo Give plants plenty of room, especially for low-growing varieties that will branch out. Make rows about 30 inches apart. (For very small varieties, plant closertogether.) I stagger my rows and as they grow, you may find that some flowers are not as strong and keeping up. I usually end up removing about 25% of the young flowers and will either try to transplant them or grind them up and use as fertilizer for the remaining sunflowers. I believe that this helps the healthy sunflowers thrive more. To remove the seeds, rub your hand over the seeded area and pull them off the plant or you can use a fork.Another way to remove them is to rub the head of the sunflower across an old washboard or something similar. Just grip the head and rub it across the board as if you were washingclothes.Jerusalem artichokes are also a type of perennial helianthus ( Helianthus tuberosus), and although grown for their edible tubers, they do also produce small sunny flowers on tall stems in late summer. Alternatively, you can cut the flower head early and hang the heads upside down until theseeds are dry; hang indoors or in a place that’s safe from birds andmice. Pure Sunflower features a beautiful interpretation of the striking pattern originally designed by Morris in 1879. Printed on 220 thread count pure cotton, in a modern palette of silver and chalk tones, the duvet and oxford pillowcase are finished with a fine cord piping and reverse to an all over textured print. Strawberry Thief’ is one of William Morris’ most famous designs. He was inspired to create the original fabric after watching thrushes stealing strawberries from the kitchen garden of his countryside home, Kelmscott Manor, in Oxfordshire.

Perennial sunflowers are best planted in spring or autumn, when the soil is warm and damp. They can also be planted in summer if bought in flower, although they will need regular watering to help them get established successfully. As they are perennials, theydie down into the ground over winter and re-sprout from the base in spring.Sunflowers are heliotropic, which means that they turn their flowers to follow the movement of the Sun across the sky from east to west and then return at night to face the east, ready again for the morning sun. Heliotropism happens during the earlier stages before the flower grows heavy withseeds. To browse photos and descriptions of Helianthus, go to RHS Find a Plant. You can also search by height, flower colourand more,to help narrow down your choices. For indoor bouquets, cut the main stem just before its flower bud has a chance to open to encourage sideblooms. Annual sunflowers are usually grown from seed, sown indoors in spring (see Propagating, below). Keep them on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouseuntil late spring or early summer, then plant outside once the soil is warming up and there is no risk of frost. Harden themoff thoroughly first, to acclimatise them to outdoor conditions. Be sure to water the young seedlings once a day and never directly on top of them. I soak around the flower bed and in the rows between where I planted and will occasionally add some sort of diluted fertilizer maybe once a week during the early stages. As the flowers mature, they won't need to be watered as frequently (unless drought) and it is suggested that mature sunflowers need watering once or twice a week with a decent soaking and again, never on or at the base of the flowers but about 12 inches away from the stems so that you are soaking the roots.

The flowers vary in size too, from huge dinner plates to small teacups, and not just traditional yellow, butvariousshades of cream, red, orange and brown too. Everyone is familiar with those huge sunflowers that grow on towering eight-foot-tall stalks. Butdid you know some varieties top off at a modest 15 inches? Sunflowers are a diversebunch!

In This Section

Sunflowers, both annual and perennial, are easy to plant– see our guides below for full details. Water both types thoroughly to help them settle in, and continue watering regularly throughout the summer. SunrichGold’: An excellent flower for bouquets and arrangements, thissunflower grows to be about 5 feet tall and produces a single4- to 6-inch flower. The big, no-mess, pollenless flowers have rich, golden-yellow rays and green-yellow centers. This variety is wonderful forarrangements.

William Morris (1834-1896), artist, philosopher and political theorist, was one of the most outstanding and influential designers of the Arts & Crafts movement and through his company, Morris & Co. he produced some of the most fashionable and exciting textiles and wallpapers of his era. His legacy continues today with Morris & Co. producing authentic versions of his original designs alongside new interpretations to create up to date fabrics, wallpapers and furnishings with a timeless appeal.Starting sunflowers off indoors gives the plants a head start, which is important if you want to grow really tall ones. However, you need space on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse for a month or more, until you can plant them out in early summer. Medium to tall sunflowers are best planted in a sheltered location, out of strong winds, to keep them upright. Even then, theyshould be supported with sturdy caneas they tend to become top-heavy so are very easily toppled Autumn Beauty’:One of the most spectacular cultivars, the ‘Autumn Beauty’ has many 6-inch flowers in shades of yellow, bronze, and mahogany on branching stems up to 7 feettall.