Sunflowers - do we have a contest here?

[Smart Red]

I saw G.W.Rabbits' post and photos of the skyscraper sunflowers. Beautiful! Wish I had gotten my act together in time to get the sunflowers I had planted, but I gave the task to a grandchild and just waited for her to do it as repayment for a loan. She still owes me on that loan while her brother (he borrowed 5 X's what she did) worked his loan off and made another $40 in the process. The sad part is there are plenty of seeds but no flowers where I wanted them planted. Sigh!

My question: I know we have a pumpkin contest. No way I'll have a winner unless we have places for Peanut (peanut-covered) or largest Cinderella pumpkin as mine tend to be pretty normal in size (probably due to over crowding). Wait until next year!

But, I do have a huge sunflower. It just might be a prize-winner in size.

Next question: Would the sunflower have to be one I planted or simply one I recognized as a seedling and left to grow? I suspect a bird planted mine, but I cared for it and that should count for something.

I am working on getting a couple of photos up. Several problems are interfering with my efforts, but hopefully soon you can see my monster, IMHO.

 

[Collector]

I have some getting pretty tall, but they don't have heads yet.

P.S if its growing on your property it counts, not mater how it got there!..

 

[Nyboy]

Out of a packet of seeds I have 1 sunflower it is about 2 feet tall and has a flower about 4 inches. Oh well they where from the dollar store.

 

[Smart Red]

Out of a packet of seeds I have 1 sunflower it is about 2 feet tall and has a flower about 4 inches. Oh well they where from the dollar store.

Doesn't make it any less lovely. I have a second volunteer sunflower that has grown taller than my monster and has blessed me with nearly a dozen small, perfect flowers on it's branching stems. Since mine is not from the Dollar Store, I gotta guess it's from my bird seed. . . Wait! Only one plant from a whole packet? I suspect places like the Dollar Store are NOT good places to purchase seeds.

 

[desertlady]

I grow skyscraper and mamoth every year , I put them next to my chicken pens to give them some shade. Friends come over with their mouth open staring at my huge flowers ! LOL! I never got around to measure them, I dont have a ladder tall enough !

 

[catjac1975]

so. What is the largest variety? Mamouth Russian? Or what?

 

[baymule]

I have scrubby, wild sunflowers that come up every year in the garden. I pull up the half million of them that I don't want and let the rest go wild. At the end of the garden, down at the street, (garden is strip of dirt between sidewalk and driveway) are some marigolds and periwinkles I planted. The city replaced the water line and turned the soil upside down and I got red clay on top. I figured the marigolds and periwinkles would live and they have. Add to that the wild sunflowers and the sweet potato vines from the two beds next to clay bed and it is a wild tangle. The wild sunflowers are multi-branched, are covered with 3-4" flowers, and spread out all over the place. So the end of the garden is a color explosion of yellows, oranges, lavenders and gobs of sweet potato vines. I don't get any seeds from the wild sunflowers, but I get color and bees!

 

[desertlady]

so. What is the largest variety? Mamouth Russian? Or what?

mammoth makes big fat heads. and get top heavy they it tipped over, not necessary the tallest. not sure about the others. I am going to try king kong next spring !

 

[desertlady]

Not the tallest , 8 feet and several inches , from Burbee 's Fun n sun Hybrid mix

 

[Smart Red]

15 inch radius at the widest spot.

38 inch circumference and I see I didn't measure at the widest part.

Might be a mammoth, it grew to about 5 feet tall and bent over as soon as the petals started falling.

Then there is the mini-giant sunflower with more than a dozen 4 inch blooms on a 4 to 5 foot plant.

Wish I had thought to get a measurement of my big sunflower with the petals still on.


Hey, hey! I previewed the post and saw all the photos. YES! Am I computer savy or what?!