What I love about Summer - Sunflowers!
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I am a sunflower fanatic. These flowers are so cheerful, so big, and so easy to grow, how can you not love them?
Every summer I grow all kinds of sunflowers in my garden. There are so many varieties to choose from, that I just can't decide on one or two! My absolute favorite is a type called Endurance, Seeds of Change organic seed company. This sunflower is a multi-branching type that grows about 8-10 feet high. Plant one seed and you will get at least FIFTY sunflowers on one stalk! You can cut them all summer for indoor arrangements and never run out.
When my kids were little, I got sucked into trying to grow a "sunflower cottage" I saw in a magazine. You plant sunflowers in a 10' square pattern and plant peas, beans, morning glories, or some other kind vine to grow up the stalks and across the square to form a roof. It looked so cute in the picture, and the magazine children were having so much fun!
But it you ever have the urge to plant a sunflower house for your kids, take my advice and DON'T DO IT. Sunflowers attract BEES. Lots of BEES. Which is a very good thing for a gardener, but not something you want to mix up with toddlers and small children. My kids would not go near their sunflower house!
Another caution about sunflowers. Their roots put out something in the soil that makes it hard for any other plant to grow. So if you plant them in your garden, make sure you plant them in the same place every year.
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Joy Nash
www.joynash.com
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A Little Light Magic
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Labels: a little light magic, countdown to summer, joy nash, sunflowers
posted by Joy Nash | 5:00 AM
13 Comments:
Sunflowers are lovely. I've planted a few of them but I tend to grow a variety of flowers every year as well. I like a lot of color in my front and back yards.
Congratulations on your new release!
Unfortunately, I don't have a place to grow anything. But my mother is an enthusiastic flower gardener and I remember her planting sunflowers one year.
thanks for this lovely post. Sunflowers are so striking and unique. The color and beauty always is appealing.
Sunflowers are very pretty and so sunny looking but I have never planted any. Do they come back every year or do you have to replant?
I once rented a house for years, and the owner had another empty lot next door he used to grow vegetables. At the end he had 3 huge sunflowers, first thing I saw everyone morning when I woke up and looked out my window. That sunflower cottage sounds cool.
What I love about summer are all my lillies. I can't wait for them to bloom in the spring & am sad when fall comes & they go dormant.
megalon22[at]yahoo[dot]com
Sunflowers are such happy looking flowers.
Virginia -
Sunflowers are annuals, but they tend to re-seed on their own. There are always a few that plant themselves in my garden every year.
The seeds are very easy to plant - just put them in the ground after the last frost and they will pop right up.
I've always wanted to witness a field of sunflowers following the sun. That must be a glorious thing to see.
I too love sunflowers! We grew some last year and I am hoping that the shedded a lolt of seeds, so we will be sunflower heavy this year!!
Thanks
Darby
darbyscloset at yahoo dot com
I have always loved sunflowers but hadn't tried to grow them. Thanks for the cautions and suggestions!
Did not know about the sunflower putting a "toxin" in the soil. Interesting. I've planted them a few times, but more often the birds and our bird feeder do it for us every year. Have been so busy this spring, I haven't gotten into my flower beds to weed and my plants are almost waist high an blooming. This weekend I've got to do it.
Hope everyone enjoys the Memorial Day weekend.
I never thought about there being a lot of different kinds of sunflowers. I worked with a girl one time that loved sunflowers. They are very cheerful looking flowers. Maybe I'll try to plant some myself. :-D
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