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Their images are on shirts, sweaters, even blue jeans and in some areas of the country sunflowers can be seen growing on fields once planted in grains. Sunflowers make their way into bouquets, our hearts, our minds and they are easy to grow.
With exotic and entertaining names like Pikes Peak, the Sundance Kid, Strawberry Blonde and Firecracker, what isn’t there to draw your attention to the sunflower?
They will add some “splash and dash” and brighten your garden or yard and draw to them, colorful creatures such as bees, birds and their friends.
You can have a Velvet Queen, a Gold Rush and an Autumn Beauty to go with your Moulin Rouge, Peach Passion or Honey Bear. If these aren’t enough, try growing some Mammoth Russian or Vanilla Ice.
There truly is something for everyone in the world of sunflowers and they don’t have to cost a fortune.
You can buy from any of several reputable firms and you’ll know what you’re getting, OR you can take that 40 lb. bag of sunflower seeds you bought to feed the deer or birds and add a little mystery to your garden.
“Mystery” isn’t always a positive… we tried this approach and got very mixed results that included many small sunflowers mixed in with some “normal” sunflowers and for a one-time experiment it was educational.
The approach we’d recommend includes buying a variety of seeds from growers and start your garden that way..
Keep a handful of seeds from your favorite sunflowers for growing next year’s crop. Plant them when there is no longer danger of frost and stand back and enjoy watching the magic take over.
Keep your camera handy because the show will begin as the flowers bloom. Then after the season is over, save some seeds from the plants you enjoyed the most and start the cycle over again the following year.