Spreading a Little Sunshine
What’s wrong with sunflowers?
While researching/Googling advice on growing sunflowers I was surprised to find that many of the leading garden writers and designers are really snobbish about them. Apparently they’re only suitable for children (the phrase: “and the lower orders”, while not used, is probably implied).
Well I don’t care. They are fun and cheerful and I like to grow a few every year. A fellow plot holder did comment once that a giant sunflower takes a huge amount of fertility from the soil, and he probably has a point, so we will redouble our efforts to compost as much as possible and replace what we take out.
This year on Plot 21 we will be growing many more flowers, as my aim is to bring a little joy to my neighbours as I present them with cut flowers through the season. I hope to cheer fellow plot holders too.
Sunflowers will be particularly featured. At a recent funeral, following a very difficult autumn, we rode in the funeral car behind the hearse, where the sunflower bouquet we had chosen gleamed golden and bright against the black car. Throughout that dreary journey I fixed my gaze on that patch of brightness and resolved that in 2015 I would grow “Sunflowers for Sarah”.
We have sown 4 varieties of sunflowers, including just a few giant ones. Most will be much shorter, around 2 – 3 feet. I hope they do well, and that you enjoy seeing them.
While researching/Googling advice on growing sunflowers I was surprised to find that many of the leading garden writers and designers are really snobbish about them. Apparently they’re only suitable for children (the phrase: “and the lower orders”, while not used, is probably implied).
Well I don’t care. They are fun and cheerful and I like to grow a few every year. A fellow plot holder did comment once that a giant sunflower takes a huge amount of fertility from the soil, and he probably has a point, so we will redouble our efforts to compost as much as possible and replace what we take out.
This year on Plot 21 we will be growing many more flowers, as my aim is to bring a little joy to my neighbours as I present them with cut flowers through the season. I hope to cheer fellow plot holders too.
Sunflowers will be particularly featured. At a recent funeral, following a very difficult autumn, we rode in the funeral car behind the hearse, where the sunflower bouquet we had chosen gleamed golden and bright against the black car. Throughout that dreary journey I fixed my gaze on that patch of brightness and resolved that in 2015 I would grow “Sunflowers for Sarah”.
We have sown 4 varieties of sunflowers, including just a few giant ones. Most will be much shorter, around 2 – 3 feet. I hope they do well, and that you enjoy seeing them.
Flowers from plot 21 – Sunflower “Music Box” and Cosmos “Purity” - 2014
Submitted by Yvonne, plot 21
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