Gardening Tips and Highlights

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Growing sunflowers      by Christine Yesko Sunflowers are one of the easiest flowers to grow in the garden.  They are a beautiful addition to a summer flower garden and are helpful with attracting pollinators to the garden.  Many of us have memories of planting sunflowers when we were young; the stems seemed to shoot up before our eyes.  If you choose the right variety, you get the added benefit of harvesting delicious sunflower seeds.  They are not picky about soil.  They tolerate rocky and sandy soils; to be sure though, sunflowers grown in rich soil will grow taller and fuller than those that aren’t.  They are easily grown from seed.  If you do a transplant, don’t wait too long as they can get rootbound quickly and don’t recover well.  Space large plants 2-3 feet apart.  If the plants are too close to each other, the heads will be smaller.  For harvesting, harvest when seeds are plump and developed.  When the flower petals begin to dry out and fall off. Harvest when the flower back is brown (if you are letting seeds dry with the stem intact). If you have space in your yard, especially a sunny area, why not grow a sunflower tower with room inside so your children can hide?  This tower is great for the birds and a neat way to introduce kids to gardening.  Growing sunflowers are a happy flower and they will guarantee to brighten up even the gloomiest of days, whether planted in a long row or a sunny border.  Information obtained from “The Farmer’s Almanac”.  Stay cool, and enjoy summer.
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