I was late in planting my sunflower seeds and feared they might not have a chance to bloom before summer's heat knocked them down and out so I was gratified when they started to flower earlier this month. The first flower to bloom was so dark I called it the "black-hole of sunflowers." (I think it may actually be Helianthus annuus 'Moulin Rouge'). The first four sunflowers pictured above came from a "Florist's Sunny Bouquet" mix and the last one is the second bloom from the "Drop Dead Red" mix. (Individual components of the seed mixes were not identified by the seller.) The plants in the red series were slower to germinate from seed but are taller and, although only the one plant has produced blooms thus far, all have buds. I'm hoping to see more blooms before the plants give in to the heat the forecasters say is coming.
The Wednesday Vignette is the brain-child of Anna at Flutter & Hum. Visit her to find more photographic vignettes.
All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Nothing like sunflower blooms to convert the warmth of summer!
ReplyDeleteThey do seem the very symbol of summer, don't they?
DeleteThanks for sharing your beautiful sunflowers. I had planned to sow seeds for sunflowers in my garden this year, but somehow never got around to it. Maybe next year. I love your dark red one.
ReplyDeleteI almost didn't get mine planted either. The seeds didn't go in until late May, more than a month later than I'd intended.
DeleteThose are some gorgeous sunflowers, Kris! Love the shot with the bee - the iconic look ;-) I had assumed sunflowers would take too much water here; but having seen some growing wild by the roadside, I'll have to rethink that!
ReplyDeleteI tried some in my garden beds last year, Amy, and they didn't amount to much. Planting the seeds in the raised planters in my vegetable garden, they got drip irrigation 2x a week, supplemented by water from my rain tanks.
DeleteI love the two with red ones! If I were to grow sunflowers, I would want ones with those colors.
ReplyDeleteThen Botanical Interests' "Drop Dead Red" mix is for you, Evan.
DeleteIt's impossible not to smile when looking at a sunflower :-) I really like that dark one...so very dramatic!
ReplyDeleteI think that dark red one looks better in the garden than it does in a vase, Matt. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the plants from the red-flowered mix turn out - they seem very slow to bloom.
DeleteSunflowers are so festive ! I haven't grown them for several years , but I think I have a spot for a couple next year.
ReplyDeleteThey are very cheerful flowers, Kathy, and of course the bees love them.
DeleteIt was great to see your sunflowers. Once again I forgot to plant some. Next year! Hopefully water will be more plentiful then.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, El Niño will come through for all of California this winter, Gerhard. These sunflowers are the drip system in my vegetable beds but supplemental water from my rain tanks probably gave them the extra boost they needed.
DeleteSunflowers always make me smile. Mixes of seeds are great in that you only need to buy one pack but the downside is you can't then go and buy the one you really love on its own.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that the seed mix didn't list its composition but I suppose they don't want to deal with claims that people didn't get what they expected. After your tip about the 'Earthwalker' variety, I checked out other hybrids on-line and my guess is that dark red one is 'Moulin Rouge'.
DeleteSo lovely! There are native sunflowers here (without the showier large bloom heads) that do beautifully rain or (as is more likely) shine, so I'm betting yours will carry on and bring you weeks of pleasure. Rain, or (as is more likely) shine... : )
ReplyDeleteThere's more monsoonal moisture in the area again this week and, although forecasters haven't ruled out chances of rain in our area, it appears more likely that it'll stay in the mountains and inland valleys. But I still have plenty of rainwater collected from the last storms to water my sunflowers!
DeleteThey're gorgeous, Kris! Don't they just amaze you, how tall they get from that tiny little seed? There is a bunch of them growing along the roadside near here and despite this infernal heat (106 today!) they still look good. Maybe that's one of the reasons they're called SUNflowers. :)
ReplyDelete106! How horrid! I don't think I've ever experienced a temperature that high. I hope you get a break soon - no, immediately!
DeleteReally beautiful, Kris. I'm a big fan of the red/burgundy one. Fingers crossed you get more buds opening!
ReplyDeleteBased on buds and leaf color, signs are that at least 2 of the plants that have yet to bloom are a deep red like that first one, including one among what I thought was an all yellow group.
DeleteSunflowers are so precious, I can not imagine my garden without them. The sweet memories of my childhood when we ate the seeds of giant sunflowers at the end of summer... :)
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