Garden Update: Our Beautiful Sunflowers!

in R2cornell3 years ago

Among the things that are flowering in our garden, the last of the season tend to be our giant sunflowers!

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I say "giant" because they truly do grow quite huge; several of them this year made it to 12 feet (4m) tall!

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The diameter on the heads of some of the largest ones get close to 16-18" (40-45cm)!

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Sunflowers are actually make up of two kinds of "flowers."

There are the very large bright yellow petals around the edge, and then 100's of smaller flowers in the heart, each growing at the end of what will eventually become a sunflower seed.

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The bees really love that central part! Sometimes I have counted as many as 6-7 bees per flower.

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No, that's not a field of yellow flowers, that's a close-up of the center of the sunflower!

In a few weeks, they will be ready to harvest and be dried for the seeds.

Thanks for stopping by!

(All photos are my own)