These sunflowers are part of a project that I started a few months ago in my front yard. The project kind of assumed that they would all flower at the same time, but that hasn't happened. They haven't even grown at the same rate, some are way taller than I am, others are just above my knees, and the one below is my favourite, because we stand exactly face to face.
But it doesn't matter. I planted these a little begrudgingly, I have said before that I am not a huge fan of growing flowers, but now, I am so glad I did.
They are just simply amazing.
I love watching the progress of the seeds as they develop. There are hundreds of circles of flowers inside the much larger flower head, and it's like watching a slow fall of dominoes as each individual flower opens to reveal its seed... I did a little reading about them and apparently the little flowers (called florets) are arranged in an spiral pattern where the interconnecting left and right spirals are successive Fibonacci numbers.
That hurt my brain, but it sounded too cool to leave out. You can read about it here.
Anyway, I called this post showstoppers because they are in my front yard. And they stop passers by. Every day since they flowered I have seen people walking by, pointing them out to their friends and family. Some just stop and look, other people stop and talk to me, and although I have very little to do with their beauty, I feel as though I have moved people, and that makes me feel chuffed.
ps I will show you the project as soon as a few more of the flowers flower. It's very cool, but messy cool, not neat and tidy like the vision I had. Plants don't seem to want to confirm to my rules.
13 comments:
The flowers are beautiful and the photography is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Have you heard of 'Garden Grab'? You can submit a photo and they check it out. If it meets their standards (which even I have met a few times) they put it on their site with a link to your blog. Brings in lots of visitors, if that's what you want. There is a link in my sidebar..it says Grabbed.
Oh Hazel, I have a confession to make! I saw the grabbed button on your sidebar and submitted some photos yesterday! They haven't gotten back to me though, I was thinking maybe my photos weren't up to standard, some of the shots on that site are incredible. That's fantastic that you got some of yours on there, how can I find them? I had a look around, but I didn't really understand how the site worked.
How's the pole dancing going?
Super photos Ali! I hope they get onto Golden Grab whatever that is ... a link, perhaps? Since I don't know Hazel's blog (yet!) ;-)
You can use Sunflower seeds to grow the best sprouts on the planet ... soak the seeds in tap water for 24 hours, drain then plant in a small garden bed like a pot or similar, cover for a couple of days and see them grow. When the greens are about 3 inches high, start to harvest them with scissors. Technically they are 'greens' rather than 'sprouts' it seems, just found this out, I've always called them sprouts.
If you have a super-abundance of seeds you can use them as part of a cover crop. Or you can eat them yourself but you have to de-hull them and that's a right pain so I hear. Parrots do the de-hulling with those curved bills but lacking that equipment ...
I'm keen to see the Prada Red Sunflower when it's ready to show its face ... Trinette from BLF gave some seeds to me and one little plantlet is growing down the front. Worth searching BLF for her pix, they are stunning.
Sometimes when I see your posts I think we are blog-connected! I've been thinking of sunflowers. I love them! They are amazing and your photos do them so much justice. Great photos! There is a house on my bus route to work that has their front yard with sunflowers - it is the best part of the trip. We planted giant russians which have turned out to be magnificent. They stand almost twice, if not 3 times my height - admittadly that is not very high but still!
Thanks for that about the sprouts Elaine, I was on the verge of ordering some I'd seen in a Digger's magazine the other day, little did I know I had them on hand already! I planted a ton of sunflowers, maybe more than 100 scattered around my yard. I was afraid they wouldn't work and sought confidence in numbers... so now it'll be sprout salad pretty much daily.
Do they have to go into the soil, could I grow them in cotton wool do you think?
I'll have a look at the red sunflower on BLF, that sounds pretty magnificent. I hope yours makes it... and take a look at Hazel's blog, I think you two would get on.
She's just installed a pole dancing studio in her shed out the back. I can so see you and other Elaine and Hazel twirling around that pole.
Erin that's enormous! Are the heads really big too? Mine are more saucer than dinner plate sized, and the tallest ones would maybe be one and a half times my height (which isn't saying much). I've love to try some giant ones next year.
I'm having visions of my entire front yard being filled with freakily enormous sunflowers!
I'd love to see yours in a post :)
They are fairly large - the heads would be a bit bigger than a dinner plate size. It is incredible to watch them grow. It would look fantastic - someone gave me dwarf seeds as well. I thought wouldn't it look great to have a mixture of the dwarf, standard and then the giant! Crazy sunflower ladies.
I think they've stopped growing now but they just seemed to get taller and taller. I will have to pop some photos up.
Absolutely stunning. It made me smile your sunflowers are blooming, here in Scotland mine are all dried up. Not good for me, but good for the birdies.
Ooo yes Mangocheeks, you are heading for the cold there, the sunflowers are smart to be packing it in! Someone made a comment the other day when I said I grew tomatoes in winter here, and I though, huh, people can't grow tomatoes in winter???
D'oh!
Erin I'm really looking forward to seeing your sunflower mix now that I know you are the nutty sunflower lady :p
Damn it, I have been plotting coming to your house this week and stealing those sunflowers for my own. now the whole world knows they are there. and my crimes will be more evident. I point them out to the kids every day and Deb bless her cotton socks bought me a bunch of sunnies yesterday- so stealing will have to wait for another day.
Oh Jacqui, I haven't forgotten yours :)
I have a stash out the back... I went wild and planted out 4 packets. I wasn't sure if they were going to work or not. If it makes you feel a little more of a thrill though, you can sneak around there back and nab a big bunch!
ha ha! I wasnt fishing for them! Just admiring your amazing work. I have even managed to grow some Romas from the compost - so enjoyed your tomatoes post the other day too!
Oh nice! Roma's and sunflowers, summer is well on its way... are they nice? I've been eating my father's Tommy Toe's, I don't know what he does differently, but his are better than mine :(
I haven't got a green thumb! And I so want one.
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