Good Day Sunshine

It’s time to wake up,

closed sunflower

 

and face the sun.

facing forward

 

I’ve been gardening on this property for a dozen years, and in that time I’ve had plenty of failures (for the life of me I can’t grow clematis!) but one success every summer has been sunflowers. Each year I plant more, and make sure that I have plenty of variety in color, size and height.

red sunflower

 

yellow sunflower

 

(Note the jagged petals – birds eat them.)

sunflower

 

I purchase

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 from my local plant nursery. Always read the labels – although the “pollen-free” varieties are tidier in cut flower arrangements, there’s nothing there for the bees.

It’s not only the flowers which are beloved here. I give the stalks to the goats, who think that the leaves are delicious and that the tough stems are good for head scratches.

Not, yet, boys. The sunflowers will stay in the garden awhile longer!

Caper

Comments:

    • They are, but are also impatient. They know exactly where the sunflowers are and would love to escape. Are probably planning that right now…

  2. Beautiful.

    Here is my problem with sunflowers. I would love to grow them but the pesky squirrels come along, cut the entire head off and haul it away chunk by chunk,

    Obviously Lilly doesn’t allow it.

  3. I planted sunflower seeds this year after a decade-long hiatus. Chipmunks dug up and ate every single seed! I wonder if I can start them inside and transplant them?

  4. Beautiful photography Terry!
    Last I grew snacking (striped) sunflowers in the garden.
    We toasted some plain and some salted – turned out pretty good.
    I also dried some seeds for this years planting season and so far so good. I just love the way the heads follow the sun.
    As for starting some in pots, I don’t see why not, our local nursery and home improvement store sell them this way to be replanted. It’s worth a try.

    Also do you feed the flower heads to the girls or it that a no no?

    • Because the sunflower heads take work to break apart and eat, I do feed them to the girls. When I have a good harvest, and if the wild birds don’t get them first, I save them for mid-winter as a special treat for the hens. Only one a day – don’t overdo it.

  5. Thanks for sharing your sunflowers with us, Terry. They are such cheerful flowers – one of my favourites.
    I have the same challenge with chipmunks and squirrels as Ken and John and I have not been able to successfully grow sunflowers in my garden for quite a while now. Our dog used to chase them when he was younger, but lost interest a number of years ago.

  6. Absolutely love the dark maroon sunflower! My parents had an ordinary sunflower volunteer come up one year. It grew to a very impressive height.

  7. I grow a variety the same as you and use them in the winter for the Girls. They are always so bright and cheerful even on dull days. The other flower I grow lots of from seed are Cosmos there are so many different ones available, they are very easy to grow last for months and give you masse’s of cut flowers. Do you have them in USA ??

  8. Your sunflowers are glorious, and it is good to see Scooter out and about!

  10. Well, since I heard this morning on the radio that the CDC discourages kissing and otherwise canoodling with your chickens, say it instead with sunflowers.

  11. The one plant I can’t grow lol supposed to be easy but no luck. On the other hand my clematis are gorgeous. Go figure….