Sunflowers: Big & small

I found that interesting ..
... lots of different types and heights ..
good blog :o)

Don't wish to be rude, but why do you grow sunflowers on your allotment? We are on a waiting list of up to two years for and allotment and wish to be a little self sufficient, eking out our pensions and not paying for air miles.

I grow sunflowers in the garden for the birds, many are self seeded as passed on by the birds as it were. Why would you give up valuable growing space. Sorry just don't get it, although your flowers are lovely. Do you sell them on to raise some income?

Hope your summer gets going soon, Balcony. Our summer's started in BUCKET loads! Temps of 37 yesterday and had to cool off in the pool. Ah! Shame! ;o)

Love sunflowers..... lovely pics... i have stopped growing them as the sea winds knock them down.....

Balcony I think your displays of Sunflowers are fantastic, great to look at and brilliant for the birds, well done !! must have pressed twice but Hey you have a double compliment

Balcony I think your sunflower displays, they are not only pleasing to the eye but a great source of food for the birds, well done!!

I love the small sunflowers, i used to grow "Teddybear" but haven't for a couple of years, Maybe nexy year :)

Thank you all for your comments & I'm glad you found my blog interesting! :-))

Thanks, TT, I tried to find a variety of different colours & sizes. I didn't have any more of the Mini Sunflowers on their own. But there will be more photos of them later in the season. :-))

@Grannyb: You are not being rude, it's alright to ask questions. I don't mind answering you either :-))

"... but why do you grow sunflowers on your allotment?" We grow them for their beauty & for the seeds which the birds love! We also eat some heads of seeds! As for selling - we are not allowed to sell any produce from our plots.

They don't take up much room & also attract bees by the 100s! If you read my fortnightly blogs on the allotment I share with my friend from church, Gerry, you will see we put the allotment to good use!

I, too, am waiting for my own allotment. I've been waiting a year now & still don't have my very own. I'm helping Gerry with the 1 & 1/2 he has had for around 10 years. 3 years ago he had to undergo a very serious operation & couldn't work on the plots. During the winter he asked me if I would like to help him & so I joined him for my very first go at growing veg at the end of March last year. There will be a new update in a few days time!

@Nariz: We have had our summer, yesterday & today! We got up to around 30ºC! Now we expect thundery downpours during the night. From tomorrow we are told the temps will drop by at least 10ºC!

@Holly: They are lovely, aren't they? Some of ours were blown over in August last year so I can appreciate why you have given up on them. But there are dwarf varieties they look every thing as good as the giants!

@PP: Thanks for the double compliment! LOL! :-D

@YDY: Glad you liked the mini-Sunflowers! I've sown lots more this year! You'll probably see them as I write my fortnightly blogs on the allotment.

Nice to see your sunflowers. I hope you get some good ones this year aswell :)

Thanks, Hywel! I'm hoping for lots of lovely blooms. :-))

Loved them all! I've never grown any but, after seeing these beauties, I might have to give it a go!

Surely you've seen the millions of hectares they grow in Spain! It's a wonderful sight when you pass by 100s of fields of lovely bright yellow Sunflowers in the summer!

They are the easiest things to grow that you can imagine! I've even got them growing in a couple of hanging baskets on my balcony!!! (How they got there I've no idea!)

Since posting this blog with the first Sunflower to open this year lots more have opened on the allotment! There are 100s more to grow to flowering size yet!

Thanks Balcony for not taking any offence, none was intended. I wish I could find some one to share an allotment with. Being an RSPB member I appreciate you growing for the birds.

I have sunflowers in the garden, they are however ones planted by the birds, but they do attract lots of other insects as you say.

Happy growing.

Just today I noticed that a Sunflower has begun to open in a pot on my balcony! It's about 50-60cm high. It's growing in a pot with a Carnation. As the Carnation was one of many I took down to the allotment last winter & brought back in the spring a Sunflower seed must have fallen into the pot!

I have two Sunflower seedlings in two of my hanging baskets! How they got there I've no idea! As far as I can remember I think I used fresh compost for the baskets, they certainly weren't on the allotment! I haven't grown Sunflowers on my balcony since I did the Sunflower trail for Gardener's World! The poor plants are looking tatty after a few days of strong winds but they are surviving still!

I'm going to upload the picture I took today of the Sunflower that's opened today on my balcony.