Talkback: Growing giant sunflowers - planting out - Talkback

27/05/2011 at 16:33

The one seed of my seven freebies that germinated is now 61cm tall and looks very healthy. It too has been outside for a month in a big pot. Should it become a monstrous height I will tie it to a drainpipe. just imagine having a sunflower heading for the roof! And the birds would have a very convenient cafe when the seeds were ripe.

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28/05/2011 at 09:11

Is it too late for me to plant my sun flower seed now? The weather has not been very good up here. I live near Durham.

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28/05/2011 at 14:07

i have sunflowers on my alloment which are in flower they have been in flower for about a week..too bliming early its cause of warm weather everything is blooming to early.have loads of strawberrys too.

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28/05/2011 at 16:35

we have sunflowers growing in tubs..love them..so easy to grow as well..the bees love them too .

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29/05/2011 at 00:38

Oh yes, mine all germinated well and my 3yr old has been given the job of looking after them which I have to say she is very excited about! Currently she has one planted at the front of my wife's raised vegetable bed!, one in a border at the bottom of the garden and four in pots still until we decide where is best to plant them. As always great plants to get the kids involved in gardening and like most on here they are probably about 40-50cm tall now. http://higgysgardenproject.blogspot.com/ Higgy

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29/05/2011 at 07:44

My sunflowers are all growing well but are still in the greenhouse in pots. Im not sure yet where in the garden to put them but training one up a drainpipe sounds a very good idea happymarion so I may have a go at that, watch this space...

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29/05/2011 at 09:18

My tallest which has been in the ground for a little over a week, is now 100cm tall and another is 80cm and another 75cm

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29/05/2011 at 23:14

my sunflowers are still in my greenhouse at mo but only about 25cm so havent attempted to plant yet.

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30/05/2011 at 08:02

grow loads and give to kids that visit your family grandad now they love it!i grew about 20 none left only the 2 i kept needing some sunshine its grim up north

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30/05/2011 at 16:46

Kate, I wish my sun flowers could boast the heady heights of 50cm. The cross to bear of having a north facing garden, over-shadowed by sycamore trees, leaves me in the stunted postion of having slow growing, leggy plants. At a push I think I can boast 30cms. However, always one to look for the positive, and an even keener harvester of top tips, I shall be out nettle collecting when I get back from work tomorrow to make my own organic nitrogen rich plant feed - I just hope my Poundland gloves offer some protection against the stinging. Read my blog http://theafterworkgardener.blogspot.com/

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31/05/2011 at 08:28

My one-and-only is 76cm this morning after the lovely drizzle we had all day in Bristol yesterday. After having seven children to bring up i'm finding having a one-and-only quite an experience. I do not think I can plant it out in the garden to take its chances with the fox who likes to push past my tall foxgloves and occasionally bends one, but then there are dozens of them.

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31/05/2011 at 10:10

hi all our sunflower the largest is 143 cms high already the rain dun it soome good yesterday my 5 yr old loves going to measure em daily

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03/06/2011 at 05:51

I just planted out the sunflower seedlings yesterday on a glorious afternoon here in Scottish Borders. We have had a lot of rain and wind so yesterday was a relief with sunshine and warmth and birdsong and good to be in the garden feeling. Pak Choi eating well as are our rocket, lettuce and cress leaves and lettuces..courgettes to be planted out today and the potatoes and onions are looking good! Our garden did not suffer too much from those awful winds but delphiniums copped it a bit; still if you leave them they sort of right themselves if not too injured. I grow mine from seed I harvest off my plants and have done now for over 12 years and they are stunning...sometimes 8' tall. Lupins looking good and the tree peonies are just over but the Oriental poppies are just starting. The garden is filled with darting swallows and other garden birds.

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06/06/2011 at 11:42

Lazygardener – Possibly, you might not get the plants to flower before the first frosts. Worth a try though, seed is cheap… Runnerbeans – gosh, that is early. Did they grow tall, or have they dwarfed in all the dry, sunny weather? Donutmrs/happymarion – training up a drainpipe is a great idea. If only I had one… karen – I think you’re winning so far. Can anyone else beat 143cm tall? Dan Martin – don’t despair, my garden is shady too. Just think how tall your sunflowers will grow trying to reach the sun… I’m going to measure mine again tonight. The nettle feed is nearly ready….

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06/06/2011 at 16:05

My one ad only is 109cm. now so it has grown 33cm. in a week. I doubt whether it is a winner but it is a lovely plant and i shall proudly take its photograph if it produces a great big flower and perhaps paint it .

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07/06/2011 at 20:18

I have three sunflowers growing in a recycling green bin,(very useful!) that has been made redundant for a larger wheely bin. The largest of the sunflowers is 107 cm and I will be giving them a feed of nitrogen to get them growing. Although there is nothing quite like good old Mother Natures rain. (Its raining at the moment, hooray!!)

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08/06/2011 at 07:55

I am growing sunflowers for the first time, a variety called velvet queen. I have plants that are growing well but my question is about after the plants have flowered, and you have harvested the seeds. do you dead head the plants and cut the stems back to ground level for the following years growth,or do you dig the plants up and grow new plants from seed?

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08/06/2011 at 08:13

"Velvet Queen" is a variety of helianthus annuus (should be in italics" which is the botanical name for the annual sunflower. There are perennial varieties which are lovely but don't grow into giants. The fields of sunflowers which are grown to give us our sunflower seed oil for cooking are ploughed up each year just like our rape which gives us our rape-seed oil. I did enjoy the BBC4 programme called "Botany, the Blooming of Plants", last night very much.

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24/06/2011 at 09:13

Hi i have sunflowers now in bloom,but i also have small flower heads growing off the stems,they are only the size of a five pence but they look as if they are going to open,not all of my sunflowers have these on them. Can anyone please tell me why this has happened. Thanks

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29/06/2011 at 10:11

This year i planted some annuals called Swan river Daisy's they were a freebie, i planted them in a container and look really pretty and are surviving well in the drought here in south west france, i have looked them up for next year but no results on here, they are English seeds from Thompsons i think, the pkt ha sfaded in the sun, can anyone help!!