You may remember this cheeky yellow volunteer from posts such as this one. He never asked to join Mum's garden, he just picked his spot and took it over. Not that she minded, he was pretty and yellow and tall and made a wonderful impromptu stake for the shadecloth. But I think the relationship went sour.
Was it the fact he turned brown?
Was it the fear of being overrun next season by his babies?
Was it a vendetta by the vincas?
Whatever the case, this serves a warning to all sunflowers who wish to take up residence in my Mum's garden - your days are short, sweet, but definitely numbered. Although if you want a longer life come to the balcony garden (BYO pot and potting mix, we're running awfully low)
10 comments:
I've had many volunteer sunflowers which sprouted and grew from stray bird seed. :) I let them get to a certain size, and then usually toss them to the birds as they are magnets for earwigs! (On my balcony!) However, I read somewhere on line that they can be kept miniature by regular pruning and cutting back -- I may try that this year. :)
Aha .. funny! But I happen to like sunflowers.
Prue, you crack me up! Bring your own potting mix?! Do you think that should be shortened to BYOPM or BYOD (for bring your own dirt)? LOL!!!
I know. They start out so cute and innocent. Then you turn your back and they're towering giants. Your first picture is very pretty. The second one...not so much. :)
Oh this beauty never lasts long. Even in my garden, a bushy cousin of this one took residence and it's life was glorious. Every resident in the garden would hide their faces as it reveled in its beauty but soon gave up before autumn and it's life was over!
Hmm, last time I grew sunflowers I didn't have a chance to decapitate them, the squirrels took care of that! The naughty critters would scamper up the plant, gnaw off the head and run to the nearest tree and have a feast. My neighbor couldn't figure out why she had sunflower seed shells all over her driveway. I should have grown really big ones that would have been to heavy for them to carry.
Nancy - oooh no Earwigs, they had a plague of them in Adelaide this year!
Blossom - I like them too, at least when they have their heads, my mum, it seems disagrees.
Fern - hehe BYOD is awesome! new policy for all balcony plants
Grace - Hopefully the ones on the balcony (though not as tall) will also be as pretty.
Chandramouli - going to grow one again, this time intentionally?
Michelle - squirrels ate the whole thing? It would have to be team work if they ate this one - it was a good 40cm's in diametre! Now if squirrels teamed up then i guess they deserve it ...
Funny. Did she do it or was it a dastardly squirrel? Do you guys even have those? They decapitated all of my (volunteer, self-sown) sunflowers the past couple of years.
Karen - it was mum, in the backyard, with the shears. No squirrels in Aust as far as i know, possums yes but squirrels no, just blade wielding parentals
I love a stray sunflower here and there. If it wasn't for the strays, some summer I wouldn't have any. The bunnies eat the seedlings. I have seen squirrels carry off 'treasures' to their nests. I lost a suet cage that way.
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