Sunflower hedge of 05

These are some great varieties! We had a season of sunflowers once, which were completely obliterated by squirrels. I’d love to try again as these plants are so fun and HUGE.

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

What glorious flowers!!! Just MAGNIFICENT!!!! Great photos! Just bring a smile to my face … I too am a total sucker for the reds, oranges, yellows, and bi-colors. As much as I try to add other colors to my flower beds, I always seem drawn to those colors.

I stumbled onto a flower a couple of years ago that you might also fall in love with (I have!!). It was a show stopper this year in my front flower bed. (I had strangers stop and ask me “what is that flower?”) It is called a Rudeckia Hirta Toto. Two colors … the “Gold” is a bright yellow and the “Rustic” is bi-colored. It is a perennial, dwarf plant; only grows 8-10 inches high. I have pictures for you. The flower has a similar look to it.

Above is the “Rustic” and below is “Gold”

I really enjoy swaping pictures, descriptions and stories of our favorite flowers!!! Again, your sunflowers are awesome!! :-)

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

beautiful sunflowers. And the one is a perennial? Cool

Desertjed: to embed pictures,
they have to be posted elsewhere on the internet (photobucket, your website, etc). Then put the photo location address in the comment/blog and put exclamation marks on either end of the address.
!the http address and!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

I believe I owe Sib an public apology and you others as well … I got so excited about Sib’s photos and wanted to show her this one plant … well, I should have posted the pictures of the “toto” on an other blog instead of sharing them here. I wasn’t thinking. Truly, I certainly was not meaning to come across as taking away from her shots or her subject matter. Hope you will except my apology and realize I am still learning about forums … :-(

Really sorry ….

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

over at LumberJocks.. people embed their pictures everywhere… to me, it is a compliment to the original post.
Sometimes discussions are completely hijacked and take on a whole new look.. You just never know.
Of course, some people like to keep their blogs personal and prefer that other discussions are posted on other blogs/forums. Just like one big family—we’ll figure it all out

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Well as I said, in my excitement (late last night) I added those darn pictures … this morning, thought “oh my, I should have never done that; it’s so intruding on the story” ... hence, the apology.

But enough of this … let’s get back to Sib’s story and those GORGEOUS sunflowers!!!!!

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

all are lovely. I’m a sucker for fall colored flowers!

-- GardenMentor, Seattle, WA (zone 8/9), www.gardenmentors.com & www.gardenhelp.org

Np GrandmaT, I am familliar with those plants, I have them at work. I would love to one day deal with those (but currently no perrenial space :( ). The way I see it is that your post was topic related so thats ok, the thread continuity is more for people going off in left feild making comments about avatars or people, things completely unrelated. Rudbeckia, particularlly those varrieties have very simular flowers so its easy to follow (and relavent). Another good variety is Chocolate orange, though I think its a tender perennial? And of a larger size.

I think I tend to collect sunflowers like other people collect hostas and daylilies hehe. The scary thing is I haven’t been to any garden shows yet this year, or looked at any seed racks, though I don’t know if I actually saw any last year that i didn’t already have hehe. I’ll list them so you can get an idea of what I’m working with!

Reds
Chianti Hybrid (pollen free 4-5’)
Chocolate cherry (pollen free, 6-7’)
Claret (4-6’)
Velvet Queen(5’)

Yellows
American Giants hybrid (14’+)
Dorado (Pollen free 4’)
Early Russian (8’)
Giganteus (12’+ giant)
Italian White (5-6)
Kong (11’+ pollen free)
Large Russian (6-9’ big heads)
Lemon Queen(5’)
Mammoth Russian (10’+ big heads)
Peach Passion (4’)
Tall sungold (fully double flowering 5’) (have giant as well)
Valentine (4’)

Bi-colour
Cherry Rose (4’)
Florenza (3-4’)
Magic Roundabout(pollen free 5’)
Red sun (5-6’)
Ring of fire (5’)
Ruby Eclipse (pollen free(6.5’)
Starburst (5-6)
Starburst blaze (polen free, semi double 5’)
Sundown (pollen free 6’)

Mixes
Autumn Beauty(4-5’)
Bee’s knees (pollen free 4-5’)
Dark colouor mix (5’)
Earth Walker (6-9’)
Evening sun (6’)
Fantasia (pollen free 5’+)
Harlequin (bicolour blend, pollen free 4-5’)
Indian Blanket (pollen free semi & fully double flowers 4-5’)
Monet’s Palette (pollen free 6-8’)
Pasticha? (5’)
Razzamatazz (pollen free 4-6’)

Should be an absolutely beautiful year! Going through all the seeds is really getting me pumped for spring!
Thanks
Sib ;)

Thanks Syb for your kindness … I am glad you could at least see my line of thought. :-)

Question: Not being a “seed person”—bareroot and bulbs yes—anyhow, are the dwarf sunflowers as easy to find in seed as well? Would you start those indoors or just “seed” the ground come spring. And does the same apply to the giants? Guess what I am asking is how do you start these? Wouldn’t mind adding a few of the dwarf’s this summer to my main bed, if I can find them.

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Check wall mart and canadian tire, they carry limited ones here. sunspot is a yellow dwarf one i think? I have started them in the ground and also in pots (definately not recommended for under lights!). I think my preferred method is to start them in plug packs out side (in a green house or in cold frame) a few weeks before I plan to plant them out. Only reason for this is because I hate to thin plants (I think I’m wasting precious seed!?), so this way I already have seedlings to space out as need be and they have a jump on things incase a flock of starlings come through.
Thanks
Sib ;)

okay … thanks.

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

I just joined today and hoped I’d be able to find my way back to this blog. I love your sunflowers, especially the redish ones. I’ve always stuck with just yellow but am going to try finding some of this color this year and really try planting these. This is so beautiful.

-- Vera Jo in Elm Grove WV

Vera Jo.. you can mark the page as a favourite… then you’ll always be able to find it!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

the reds are very nice, but I find the way to make them all “pop” is to mix them up, that way they bring out eachothers colours!
Thanks
Sib ;)

Gorgeous sunflowers, syble. I love them. For some reason, I forgot to plant some this year. .... old age ??

Any flowers yet this year?

-- jroot

I did plant some this year and the first yellow of the tall/giant row has started to flower. I’m working out in the garden today and hope to snap some shots of it and some of the other highlights. but all the updates will be containded in my blog horticulture haven or something like that? you can find it by clicking on my profile i think?
Thanks
sib ;)

yup.. gorgeous.. :0
I’ll have to look again and again

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Now I wanna do that!
Nice job Syb;

Bob

-- I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Alberta Canada Zone 3A or maybe 3B

Wow Syb I never saw this thread before.Are there really that many sunflower types?Here I thought I was doing good with 5. ha ha ha Shows how much I don’t know.
Your colours are amazing. Love em.Are you growing all those varieties this year?

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

I am trying to grow most of the varrieties, but some of the seeds are old, and the plot is new and unamended so germination was spotty. a good showing from most but again most are a few weeks off or more from flowering. It will be much better next year as the plot will be ready, seeds sorted, and planted on time! Thats a big part of the joy of sunflowers for me is that there is just such a variety!
Thanks
Sib ;)

Sib do you lable each sunflower when you plant the seed to know which is which?Must be hard to keep track of so many.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

I’m a lable fanatic, I buy my white lables by the 1000’s everything is labled, house plants, veggie plants, bog plants, just been that way for ever hehe.
Thanks
Sib ;)

I labelled a bunch of plants this year!! I got smart. None of them survived. Now I have labels with nothing growing and stuff growing with no labels!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Ya I got everything new labeled this year too.I got too much new stuff to remember what they are.Or is it just that I’m another year older? hmmm.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

Sib….would you be interested in trading some of those beautiful sunflower seeds in the fall?I sure would like some different ones. :-)

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more