Sunflowers are such happy members of our gardens, aren’t they? I was admiring the large one in the picture of your community garden. This spring I tried Grey Stripe – my largest topped out at 9 feet; the largest head was only 11.5 inches in diameter – no record-breakers, but not bad for growing in little backyard planters!
I had quite a battle with critters which kept eating the first seedlings. Finally I remembered an old family trick, clipped my Portie into her “summer-do” and put down dog hair (yes, all those lovely black wavy curls) over and around the seedlings as they emerged. Part of the trick is to use unwashed dog hair – not very appetizing apparently! At any rate, the critters stopped feasting at my buffet and 23 sunflowers flourished.
I never did identify the critters – could have been rabbits or javelina. -Daisy
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Sunflowers are such happy members of our gardens, aren’t they? I was admiring the large one in the picture of your community garden. This spring I tried Grey Stripe – my largest topped out at 9 feet; the largest head was only 11.5 inches in diameter – no record-breakers, but not bad for growing in little backyard planters!
I had quite a battle with critters which kept eating the first seedlings. Finally I remembered an old family trick, clipped my Portie into her “summer-do” and put down dog hair (yes, all those lovely black wavy curls) over and around the seedlings as they emerged. Part of the trick is to use unwashed dog hair – not very appetizing apparently! At any rate, the critters stopped feasting at my buffet and 23 sunflowers flourished.
I never did identify the critters – could have been rabbits or javelina.
-Daisy
Interesting method!
I just harvested a 15 inch head! I’m about to make salted sunflower seeds.