Sunflowers

[Cheerio]

A friend of mine has the most gorgeous sunflowers growing in her yard. They are about 8 feet tall with huge, showy flowers. Right now the petals are falling and the flower heads are starting to go to seed.

I asked her if she roasts the seeds, but she just leaves them on the plant so she can attract birds to the yard. She is going to give me some of the seeds and I'll plant them for next spring.

I tried growing sunflowers many years ago, but the raccoons came and completely destroyed them as soon as they started to seed. Little rascals!

 

[RomanAnthonysMama]

My mom absolutely adores sunflowers! She only grows them indoors, but they look so beautiful! I should buy her some for her birthday coming up, now that I think about it. Thank you for reminding me!

 

[zigs]

The last of mine are open now, just hope I get some seeds this year, they were all empty last time I grew them.

 

[Cheerio]

Nice! They are such a happy looking flower, aren't they? What will you do with the seeds if you get them this year, zigs?

Your mom grows them indoors, RomanAnthonysMama? She must have a very high ceiling. I hope she enjoys her sunflower birthday bouquet.

 

[zigs]

They are Cheerio

Probably use the seeds in homemade bread.

 

[claudine]

It's such a pretty sunflower, Zigs!
Personally, I love sunflowers for their looks, because they're so tall and their colors are very intense. But I must say that I really hate eating sunflower seeds. I don't find them tasty at all

 

[Babble64]

I love sunflowers as well! I don't normally plant any, though. I usually end up with one or two "rogue" flowers from seeds dropped by birds or buried by chipmunks. My photo is actually from one that grew a couple of years ago, just outside our back window. It was neat to watch it's progress. If you look closely you'll see that there is a grasshopper hanging out on the plant. He ate an entire leave of the plant while he was up there. Like Cheerio's neighbor, I leave the seeds on the plants for the birds to eat. Birds are one of my most favorite things and I loved that we had one so close to the house, so the chickadees would be up close and personal for my observation!

 

[Cheerio]

Sunflower seeds in bread are awesome! The bakery at the local store makes a multigrain with seeds and I love it!

Babble, that's a beautiful flower. I see the grasshopper. A friend of mine in Kansas (the sunflower state) just mentioned to me yesterday that the grasshoppers are eating her sunflowers. It's a favorite food of theirs and they can be devastating to them.

 

[Annetteb]

My mom had a neighbor who had a couple of sunflowers in the front of their yard, but now they're gone. I don't know what happened to them but I liked looking at them whenever I would visit my mom.

 

[Trellum]

Very nice picture Zigs! I totally love sunflowers, I actually love taking macro shots of them.

Cheerio: Over here sunflowers grow in the wild and seem to spread like fire! There is a whole field full of sunflowers very close to my home, no idea who planted them or why... I don't think having so many sunflowers in just one place is coincidence tho! That place is practically overrun by them. Maybe it was just nature...

 

[Babble64]

Very nice picture Zigs! I totally love sunflowers, I actually love taking macro shots of them.

Cheerio: Over here sunflowers grow in the wild and seem to spread like fire! There is a whole field full of sunflowers very close to my home, no idea who planted them or why... I don't think having so many sunflowers in just one place is coincidence tho! That place is practically overrun by them. Maybe it was just nature...

We have a place with fields of sunflowers, too. They were planted there on purpose, by folks who harvest them for their seeds. I've not yet discovered if the seeds are then used for planting purposes or sold as bird seed or for human consumption. What I do know is that, on a summer day, when those fields are in blossom, it is an immense pleasure to drive over the knoll and seem them stretched out in front of me. SO beautiful!! And, although I purchase sunflower seeds to feed the birds in our backyard, I need nothing, in that moment, other than the joy of seeing how beautiful they are. End product doesn't matter. At that moment, the beauty IS the end product!

 

[Babble64]

It's such a pretty sunflower, Zigs!
Personally, I love sunflowers for their looks, because they're so tall and their colors are very intense. But I must say that I really hate eating sunflower seeds. I don't find them tasty at all

Oh boy! I LOVE sunflower seeds sprinkled on salad! Can't deal with opening the shells and all that bother, but I love to purchase them already hulled. Mmm mmm! And since you don't like them, claudine, that means more for ME!

 

[claudine]

Oh boy! I LOVE sunflower seeds sprinkled on salad! Can't deal with opening the shells and all that bother, but I love to purchase them already hulled. Mmm mmm! And since you don't like them, claudine, that means more for ME!

Haha, no problem, you can take all my seeds, I don't want them. In fact, I suspect that I may be allergic to them. There must be a reason why I hate them so much. One, small sunflower seed can ruin a whole meal for me. Yuck!

 

[Annetteb]

I don't like sunflower seeds either, but I like to look at them though. I think they are just beautiful and they brighten my day every time I look at them. I wish my moms neighbor had not gotten rid of theirs I loved looking at it.

 

[claudine]

I don't like sunflower seeds either, but I like to look at them though. I think they are just beautiful and they brighten my day every time I look at them. I wish my moms neighbor had not gotten rid of theirs I loved looking at it.

I agree, they really are beautiful. Sunflowers are the most cheerful flowers I would like to grow them in my garden, especially if birds were kind enough to eat all the awful seeds