Got Sunflowers?

Now this makes a Kansas girl happy: I have sunflowers in June! Last year I did not get any blooms until July. This year I planted quite early, and these babies survived freezes, drought and hail (not to mention squirrels, cats and birds!)!

I don't have a lot of space, so I take extra measures to make sure that my few plants (about 16 total) survive their early vulnerable weeks. I plant two seeds right where I want one to grow, and then (with apologies) yank one if they both germinate (which they usually do---sunflowers are easy as pie). My annual garden has great soil---lots of compost & peat moss, and lots and lots of sun. I make an indentation in the soil where I'm planting, put some vermiculite in the hole to keep the seeds moist, pop the seeds in, and then "plant" a big slurpie dome lid on top (as a cheap mini-cloche) to keep the beasts away until the seedling is up and big enough to hold its own. I then gently remove the dome lid and do very little else other than mulch around them with straw, and water only if it's very very dry. I only stake when necessary (rarely, their stems are so strong).

The first pic will give a sense of height/size. Everything in bloom today is only about 10 inches in diameter or smaller. The mystery giants you can see on the right side of this pic are already over 7 feet tall, and will probably not bloom for a while yet.

Don't ask me to name these; I did not mark them, and the seeds came from several different sources.

And now let me see yours!

These two really are separate flowers, but they grew right on top of each other.

I adore these dark sunflowers---and their leaves are darker, too.

Thank you, Mother Nature, for that gorgeous morning dew!

I sure do!! I am always glad to have an opportunity to show off these Italian White sunflowers. They are my favorite because they are great for cutting flowers-look at those long petioles! They bloom all summer long and these came back from last year

I love all the above sunflowers as well, but they don't produce the blooms that the It. whites do. The gold finches love them too-they flock to them, and the first time I saw them fly away, I thought it was the blooms because they are the same color lol

amazing sunflowers!!!! this is my second year growing sunflowers and i am growing "mammoth". they are already sooooo tall but no flowers yet. we planted them in late april or early may. i just love sunflowers : )

kelly

Very nice! We do a sunflower "house" from sunflowers of different heights and other flowers for the kids to play in. Our Mammoths and Vervet Queens are now blooming.

zeppy
do you have pictures of mammoth?? i havent grown it until this year. the "house" is a cute idea. i would love to see it! i have 3 kids and they would love something like that.

kelly

Beautiful sunflowers! Mine haven't bloomed yet. Egiap, I like the tip about the slurpee lid -- will have to try that.

i have a question for yall...my sunflowers have had some big black bugs on them. what could they be? they are about 1 inch maybe 1 and a half inch long. they were all over the sunflowers a few weeks back and we had to dust them. does anyone else have these? they are ugly things!

kelly

Why did you dust them? Were they eating the sunflowers? Sunflowers attract a lot of beneficial insects.

daylilies, here are pics of mammoth in PlantFiles: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/70366/index.html

And here's a thread w/ pics and instructions on making a sunflower house. They're really fun. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/584178/

yes they were eating large holes in the sunflowers. my kids planted them in little cups to begin with then we transplanted them into garden. my 4 year old kaylee was crying when she saw all the holes in the leaves : ( she said mama those bugs are making holes in our sunflowers! thanks so much for the links. i took some pictures of these bugs but they blurred. i will try and get some more picts. of them. i hate to dust and usually don't but i didn't know what else to do.

kelly

I know the Japanese Beetles did a job on mine last year, grrr. Wonder what yours were?

we have japanese beetles too but these are way bigger and mean looking critters! the japanese beetles are all over my daylilies as we speak. i am just going to try some soapy water spray to see how that works. at least it will make them a little less yummy : )

kelly

Mine are blooming early also. Here is a multiheaded one. Lots of smiling faces.

Lovesdaylilies, they could be the leaf footed bugs, they're attracted to sunflowers. I couldn't tell by the picture in the other thread, but they have a weird body shape, angular.

fly sounds like it might be! i will research them. thanks!

kelly

LOL! I got sunflowers - and I didn't even plant any! God bless the birdies!!!

I like the bright look of the Sunflower and am going to plant some different types this year. Here is a picture of one I call 'Hopi Sunflower' because the Hopi Indians used the black seeds to make dye for some of their fabrics.

My best sunflower pic of the season so far.

Another

These sunflowers are way up there. Last year I grew a 'Kong' sunflower in this area. It self seeded to produce these.

A night shot -

This pic gives a sense of scale. I'd estimate the taller specimens may be up to 14' high. Their growth in this particular part of the garden has a hidden benefical aspect. Underneath their canopy are 2 baby Paw Paw trees. Paw Paw trees are undercanopy trees that need shaded their first 2 years of existance.
Last year their shade was provided under towel covered large upside down tomato cages and a single giant sunflower, this year its all natural.

thanks for sharing your sunflowers. i just love them. makes me more determined to put some in next year. wanted to this year but didn't get to it. maybe i can squeeze some in by the corn. i know i can.!!!! next year.

Sunflowers always make me smile.

This is my first year for growing sunflowers and I will never not grow them. They are GORGEOUS!

One of 'Earthwalker' mix...

'Bicentenary'

I think the one on the right is 'Italian White', and I know the one that shows partially on the left is 'Velvet Queen.'

'Velvet Queen'

Unknown yellow...

The squirrels always dig mine up before they sprout, do you have any problems with this?

No squirrel problems, but I have several cats and they have been known to 'relocate' seeds of all types.

I covered my sunflower seeds with rowcover until they came up.

here is a sunflower my daughter planted in school and brought home. we planted in our sunflower patch and it is so pretty! i don't know its name.

kelly

here are 2 of my favorites this year

love the dark veining in the leaves

What's that second one? Very lovely. I have Russian Mammoth, Velvet Queen and Sunspot.

I dont know we just bought a packet of mixed seeds, so I am not sure what the names are