Sunflowers grow wild along the roadsides here. They are up to 4 ft tall, and have several branches, so a lot of blooms on one plant. On the other hand, for some reason, sunflower seeds from a package, the ones that come in all sorts of pretty colors, don't do very well in places where I have tried to grow them, including in the flower beds under the bird feeders where dropped seeds sprout with wild abandon! Strange, huh?
I like sunflowers because they are happy looking flowers. During the past few years, a farmer about 30 miles from here has been growing a field of sunflowers every year. I would guess somewhere between 5 to 10 acres. That's a lot of happy flowers! They are rather short, compact plants compared to the size of their seed heads. In early October they are harvested with a combine, after they have been brown for several weeks. This week we drove past the field and saw the farmer turning the residue under with a disc that works about 10 ft at a pass. The sunflower field moves to a new plot every year, rotated with wheat and other crops. In spring, summer and fall, we always look to see where the sunflowers are and how they are growing. It's always fun to see them and how they are doing, but a bit sad when they finish blooming, turn brown and finish their life cycle when they ripen their seeds.
