A pretty sunrise this morning

Wow, beautiful shot.

Ok you guys are my go to for things I know nothing about. Tell me about growing SUNFLOWERS from seed. Is it easy? Are there tips and tricks? I'd like to grow some in my cottage garden this season but have never grown them before. Many things I plant from seeds never come up sadly LOL

Now this is NJ!
A couple of years ago my son wanted to grow a few Sunflowers and asked me to start them up for him. I did, simply seeded them out in a flat in the greenhouse and gave them as much sun as possible or they grow lanky. But - I learned, they can just as easily seeded out straight into the ground.

Now years ago, we had our pond freshly dug out and the meadow next to the house was just a bare area that Spring, where they had the old pond muck spread out. So, I bought a pound of fresh sunflower seeds and cast them out. Not a single Sunflower came up, but surely the birds and other little critters got fat!!
But other wildflowers like Daisies came up everywhere through the muck.

Yes, germination is highly variable, depending upon whether the birds and squirrels and rats find the seeds. I did a bunch a few years ago, and did start them in flats in the cage even though I was warned they "don't transplant well". They transplanted fine, because I did it while they were fairly small - when first true leaves were a good size, maybe 5in. tall - and gorgeous sunflowers that were supposed to be under 6ft. tall grew to over 9ft.

Advise you to plant a succession, though, because they seem to mostly be "one and done" flowers. Beautiful, and make those big nodding seed heads that the birds love, but only decorative for a short time.

Thanks guys! It will be an experiment. I tried zinnias a couple years ago, not a single seed came up. I was really disappointed because we used to grow them when I was a kid

I've grown zinnia the last couple of years, with good results, but yes, again you do have to start in flats or pots, not just seed in the ground. There just are so many hazards for luscious little seedlings in our wild, jungle-y gardens. Aside from birds and critters, there are bugs, diseases, wind and heavy rain plus the wild variation in temperatures, as you said previously - 35 one night and 85 the next day.

Didn't plant any this year yet - the grandkids are going somewhere else for their school breaks this year. I like to grow flowers they can pick . . . well it will be at their house this year, I guess.

Swamp Sunflowers, Helianthus augustifolius, blooms heavily from mid summer on through fall. Maximillion Sunflower, Helianthus maximiliani, is similar and may be the same thing. They both get big but you have the room Gina.

I'd like a mix of very tall and shorter and a mix of colors. I'm seeing seeds online for Blue, Purple and Black ones. Is that a real thing???

Gina1960 said: I'd like a mix of very tall and shorter and a mix of colors. I'm seeing seeds online for Blue, Purple and Black ones. Is that a real thing???

Blue sunflowers???? No.... at least not that I know of. There are close-to-black sunflowers but a lot of listings are photoshopped/fake.

It is that time of year. Sniffles, sneezes, runny nose, itchy eyes, etc. Everything, including the pond, is covered with heavy yellow pollen.

ardesia said: It is that time of year. Sniffles, sneezes, runny nose, itchy eyes, etc. Everything, including the pond, is covered with heavy yellow pollen.

What a beautiful pond you have.

Thank you, we enjoy all the wildlife and the newest is an otter.

It looks gorgeous and peaceful! An Otter, how sweet is that!

Alice your 2 heart caladiums are featured in the newsletter!
https://garden.org/newsletter/...

And there is a link for the Orchid's Blooms for February 2023 also.

Whoa, you have oak pollen happening there already, Alice? My trees aren't showing any signs of blooming yet. I'm waiting for the leaves to drop because I like to use them as mulch.

One of our sons had allergies and the allergist always told me the oak pollen is the worst because the grains are so small they are easily breathed in and difficult to see. He said the heavy yellow stuff, which comes out at the same time is the pine pollen. That is also what was taught in the MG classes in SC, we saw enlarged pictures of the pollen grains, they have little barbs that catch in your sinuses. You could take a pine bough and shake it and all the yellow would cloud around you. I suspect you have fewer pines in SW FL. They are still grown for pulp wood here, there are miles and miles of nothing but pines.

My SIL who had really bad allergies when she lived her said she feels so much better now that they moved to Utah.

Guess I can be glad we've had the a/c running the last day or two. But still not much sign of oak pollen here yet. I usually see it on the pool cover and all over the orchid leaves. We had a good, heavy rain shower tonight, too so if there is any pollen, it will all be down out of the air now. Always thankful for rain this time of year.

This rose bud reminded me of Ursula's lovely New Jersey sunrise that she posted a couple of days ago. This is 'Tahitian Sunset' actually.

And today, almost open all the way.

My other annuals are enjoying the warm, sunny days - cooler and cloudy for a few days coming up now, though.
Gorgeous Petchoa (petunia/calabricoa cross)

Pale yellow Calendula make a nice contrast

And of course the variegated nasturtiums 'Alaska Red Shades' are making fabulous leaves as well as the pretty, delicious flowers.

Looks great Elaine! I have a Tropica rose in bloom and got my early V-Day desert roses already.

I'm so glad it is raining because I just pruned my yellow Mums and planted the cuttings back in the same pot. It has rebloomed for me as "orangey". I am also rooting some rose cuttings from my almost 20 yrs old plant.