Recent Comments

    SITE VISIT COUNTER

    0069427

    Giant Sunflowers Brighten a Garden, Cornfield, or Wall

    Author: Meera, August 4, 2016

    Ralph Waldo Emerson once observed, “The earth laughs in flowers.” Among the many flowers I plant around the Henny Penny Farmette each year, sunflowers are my favorites.

     

     

    What’s not to love about these gorgeous beauties that inspired master artists like Van Gogh, Monet, and Gauguin as well as farmers like my grandmother who put them in fruit jars and crockery to brighten the rooms of her Missouri farmhouse?

     

     

    I like to grow smaller ones at the back of a flower bed and the giant ones against walls or at the back of my patch of summer corn.

     

     

     

    These sunflowers stand about 12 feet tall and produce several heads

    These sunflowers stand about 12 feet tall and produce several heads. Heritage varieties produce several heads.

     

     

     

    Giant sunflowers need space to grow to full size since they will grow well over six feet. In my garden, they tower over the corn. Bees love them for their pollen. Kids love them when the foliage of the plants create a secret fort or a fairy circle. Humans, birds, and squirrels love them for their seeds.

     

     

     

     

    The florets are falling off and the seeds have formed on this giant sunflower head
    Giant sunflower heads are a rich source of pollen for honeybees

     

     

     

    For best results, plant giant sunflowers at the back of a garden. They need good soil and full sun. Plant when the danger of frost has past. A rule of thumb to follow is to plant them about one inch deep and six inches apart. While the seeds are germinating, keep the soil moist.

     

     

    Later on, when the plants stand about three inches tall, you can thin them. Leave about one foot between each plant. This enables a strong root system for form. The stalks will become sturdy and measure about three to four inches in circumference when fully grown.

     

     

    Giant sunflowers add dramatic size and color against stone walls, garden sheds, and wooden fences
    Giant sunflowers add dramatic size and color against stone walls, garden sheds, and fences

     

     

    First come the gorgeous petals in green to yellow and then bright yellow. As the bees pollinate the florets and they drop, the seeds will mature. Seeds are either gray or brown in color.

     

     

    I always cut the heads when the seeds are plump, firm, and begin to drop. I let the heads dry well in the sun for days before I remove the seeds. Fully dry seeds can be stored in containers for human consumption or to be fed to the squirrels and birds. Don’t forget to save some for planting in next year’s garden.

     

    *          *          *

     

     

    If you enjoy reading about farmette topics (including gardening, beekeeping, and delicious recipes), check out my cozy mysteries A BEELINE TO MURDER and also THE MURDER OF A QUEEN BEE in the Henny Penny Farmette series (from Kensington Publishing).

     

     

     

    These novels are available through online retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo Books, and Walmart as well as from traditional bookstores everywhere.

     

     

    The first novel in the Henny Penny Farmette series

    See, http://tinyurl.com/hxy3s8q

    Now available in mass market paperback, this debut novel launched the Henny Penny Farmette series of mysteries and sold out its first press run.

     

     

     

     

    The second cozy mystery in the Henny Penny Farmette series, available Sept. 29, 2016

    See, http://tinyurl.com/h4kou4g

    The second cozy mystery in the Henny Penny Farmette series, available Sept. 27, 2016, is now available on Net Galley (netgalley.com) for professionals and readers who write reviews.

     

     

     

     

     

    read comments ( 0 )