Sunflowers!
Monday July 6, 2009
What says summer like a sunflower? Sunflowers may make you feel like you’re vacationing in the south of France, but they are surprisingly easy to grow almost anywhere. They’re annuals, but they’re extremely fast growing annuals. And newer varieties give you multiple branches with non-stop blooming. Yellows, rusts, burgundies, creams and multi-colored petals offer a sunflower for every garden.
The only problem I've ever had growing sunflowers is preventing the seedlings from being eaten by the rabbits and groundhogs. I don't mind the squirrels stealing some seeds, but I have to draw the line somewhere. I keep them protected with a wire cover when they're tiny and spray them with deterrent until they get those scratchy hairs that are a deterent on their own. So don't let that deter you from growing your own bouquet of sunflowers.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti
Comments
Oh, they’re easy to grow, just not easy to maintain!
Down here in Florida, the squirrels have waged holy war against my sunflowers, literally climbing up their stalks, breaking their branches, and stealing the sunflower heads. This has cause a lot of stress on the plants, and makes them look ugly after being broken apart.
Since our soil is so sandy down here, wind can easily knock over tall flowers (I had some over 9 feet tall) and even shorter varieties. Sandy soil makes a poor anchor. Bamboo stakes only help slightly, but not much.
Sorry for the pessimistic rant. Just had to let people know that sometimes it’s not just a matter of “put a seed in the ground, and you’re good to go!”
I did enjoy my sunflowers while they lasted. They are extremely popular among bees, and the lizards like to use them as shelter and shade. Boy, do they send peoples’ jaws to the floor, especially if they have to look up to admire the majestic beauty of this king of flowers.
Sunflowers are nice, but I’ve been obsessed with liriope ever since I started lining my driveway with it this spring. Just as the sunflowers remind you of France, liriope reminds me of the country!
Liriope reminds me of the South, because I’m a zone to low for it to be hardy.
Nate, you gave me a good laugh. For all the complaining gardeners do about deer and groundhogs, squirrels get barely a mention and they cause all kinds of headaches, from eating seeds to harvesting right before something ripens. I feel your pain.
I usually plant my sunflowers along the inside of my vegetable garden fence (not that a fence will keep squirrels out). But it does give me something to tie them to, when they get top heavy.
I love Sunflowers! I plant over 200 seeds! I love cutting them and putting them all around the house and giving them to friends. I dry the seeds and sow them the next year! Sunflowers just make you smile and give you a cheary disposition!
Jennifer, do you do anything special to keep the animals from getting to the seeds first?