Sunflowers!

One positive from this pandemic is that Omid and I caught the gardening bug. I've always wanted to plant sunflowers and am so happy that I did. They are such cheerful plants to have around.

I planted 5 varieties, all differing heights from 2 feet to 12 feet.  The different varieties take anywhere from 60 - 100 days to bloom depending on their height. 

We had a problem with slugs, snails, rabbits and squirrels try to eat the seedlings. I improvised with a plastic cup that kept them somewhat protected. I would estimate that we lost about 25 seedlings due to the critters. I kept having to replant the seeds to make up for the loss. Some seeds I sowed directly in the ground. I also started seedlings inside when I realized we were losing the plants and would need to replace them. I also found some pet safe slug killer called SLUGGO that worked great and will definitely use it again next spring/summer.

Once they start growing, they can grow several inches in a day!

This was the very first sunflower to bloom. It's called 'Firecatcher.' 

Look at all the pollen on the bees legs!

These are the 'Mammoth' variety.  They were six feet tall on August 11th. 

And over 8 feet tall today (24 days later).

We built a fence this summer. This spot was difficult as the fence wasn't planned when I planted the seeds. We had to cull about 18 plants to place the posts/fence boards. 

This is called 'Dwarf Teddy Bear.'

These sunflowers are all spent, so I am drying them in the sun for a few weeks and then will harvest the seeds. Look at the Teddy Bear on the far left vs. the photo above it. Notice the petals cover the entire head.  It is surprisingly heavy (about 2 lbs) for such a small flower.