Thursday, April 14, 2016

A Bit Early, Aren't We?

bee, sunflower, amy myers, photography, small sunny garden, desert garden, cutting gold
Well, it was a bit of a surprise to find my sunflowers beginning to bloom in mid-April!

Sometime in late winter I picked up the seeds for Sunflower "Cutting Gold" on a whim while purchasing some container plants.  The lady at the GC showed me that she was putting the packet under one of the plants in a plastic bag.  Which I promptly forgot.

I left the bag loosely around the plant as I often do to minimize moisture loss during the first twenty-four hours or so after bringing them home, which meant that the paper seed packets beneath were watered thoroughly the next day!

I planted all the seeds in a hurry once I discovered what I'd done; they had been nicely soaked.

And now I have a first sunflower bloom!
bee, sunflower, amy myers, photography, small sunny garden, desert garden, cutting gold
Much to the delight of the bees!
bee, sunflower, amy myers, photography, small sunny garden, desert garden
I was surprised to learn that sunflowers are a satisfactory summer annual here; there aren't many!  But last summer I actually saw some growing wild beside the road so I thought they might make a perfect addition to the yellow/orange East Border.  They are growing well so far; it will be interesting to see how long they continue, given my early planting and the rapidly approaching Arizona summer.

In the meantime, they are being put to good use!
bee, sunflower, amy myers, photography, small sunny garden, desert garden
Weather Diary: Fair with light clouds; High: 85 F (29 C)/Low: 57 F (14 C)

8 comments:

  1. I had a sunflower seedling flower in one of my raised veg planters a couple of weeks ago too! I just planted a whole new batch of seeds last weekend. I vaguely recall seeing sunflowers in a Texas blog post sometime in spring so maybe starting early is a smart move for those of us with scorching summer climates.

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    1. Maybe so Kris - seems like it might extend the season nicely! I was inspired by your sunflowers last year, but as I recall they were on a later schedule. Maybe I should try a second packet to bloom after the worst of the heat as well... ;-)

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  2. I have also brought sampling of sun flower and they are slowly coming out.Yet considering the temperature at Delhi already 40,still flowering is far away ,(atleast a month) your sunflower is indeed early !

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    1. It is indeed! Our temperatures have not reached 40 yet, and I certainly expected the sunflowers to wait a little longer to bloom! I also expected them to grow a lot taller ;-) This variety "Cutting Gold" is not one I am familiar with; perhaps that is a factor also!

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  3. That bee is having a field day. A nice early surprise for both the bee and you Amy.

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    1. I don't know as though I've ever seen a bee so thoroughly coated in pollen! We are certainly enjoying the unexpected... ;-)

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  4. How wonderful! That is a fantastic photo of the bee all covered in pollen! They must have been as delighted as you when the sunflowers opened!
    - Kate xx

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    1. The bees were thrilled, getting in as soon as the petals began to open! I don't think I ever look at any of the sunflowers without finding at least one bee somewhere inside :) Thanks, Kate!

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