My favorite plant this week is
Helianthus annuus:
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| aka sunflower |
Because how can it not be? These particular ones self-seeded themselves in one of the tubes. I planted some named varieties a few years ago, but I've long since forgotten which ones they're supposed to be. This year, there are six plants growing. This one is the first to bloom, at about 2 feet tall.
According to Sunset, these annuals need a lot of water. In my garden, they've seeded themselves in the tube with the Opuntia pads, so they're not getting that much water. They're also not staked (lazy gardener!) but seem to hold up alright in our crazy winds. In the fall, the birds like to hang from them to eat the seeds.
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| They always look so happy! |
I'm joining
Loree at Danger Garden for her favorite plant meme - although I'm sure I won't be posting weekly! Her favorite plant is always worth a look, and the comments at her blog have more awesome plants to look at
here.
I love sunflowers! I planted 2 varieties from seed this year but they're all still seedlings. I'm amazed that yous hold up in the wind - those I planted last year either snapped or capsized under the barrage.
ReplyDeleteMine are really short - like less than 2 feet. They look taller because they are in the pipes. Since these are reseeders, i wonder if they selected for the shorter height? But i've never lost one to the wind (yet!). Thanks for your comment!
DeleteSeriously this is blooming now? That's crazy, I think of these as being mid to late summer bloomers.goes to show you just how different our climates are.
ReplyDeleteThis seems early to me also, but i keep such bad records that i'm not sure... Then again, it might seem like late summer to the plants - months of no rain and 95+ deg F for 2 weeks straight! Thanks for visiting (and hosting this meme!)
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