Monday, August 11, 2014

Go Go Godzilla Sunflowers!

Late summer is officially here.  We heard the first crickets on August 3, and now their chirps signal the coming end of summer.

No flower says "summer" more than sunflowers do.  I'd like to show you some pictures taken at our community garden plot yesterday. 

My loving spouse puts the vast majority of work into our plots.  I sometimes join him on weekends.  But our plot has been a bit neglected this summer.
These sunflowers don't care.  They have come up for us year after year.  I've called these "Godzilla sunflowers"in past years.  They are at least seven feet (a bit more than two meters) tall.

Here are some of our other sunflowers.

 Not all sunflowers are yellow.  In fact, they are available in shades ranging from orange, to creamy white, to red.
Here's an orange and yellow specimen.

And a final volunteer Godzilla, bowing under its own weight, paying tribute to a beautiful, sunny day in the Southern Tier of upstate New York.

I'm not the only person who grows as many flowers as veggies at the community garden. Here's a nearby plot.

We don't grow sunflowers for seeds - we just can't beat the birds to them. But I don't mind my feathered friends.  Their pleasure, and my use of sunflowers as cut flowers, is enough for me.

Tomorrow - some veggies of our community garden.
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6 comments:

  1. The Dose of RealityAugust 11, 2014 at 8:44 AM

    They are absolutely GORGEOUS! The orange one is amazing! Love the idea of a community garden, too. :)-Ashley

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  2. Salma - The Write BalanceAugust 12, 2014 at 1:34 AM

    I love sunflowers!! When ever I pass flower shop and see them, i can't resist stopping by and picking some up. Beautiful pictures.

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  3. Meow Meow KittieAugust 12, 2014 at 2:31 AM

    As soon as I saw what your blog was about, I (almost) jumped out of my chair to do my snoopy-happy-dance! I adore sunflowers! Growing up, my parents used to grow them in our back yard, attracting lovely birds. I would sit as a little girl in pig tails, watching the birds, loving every moment. These pictures brought back wonderful memories! They are beautiful! Possibly my favorite flowers ever...

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  4. Francene StanleyAugust 12, 2014 at 5:00 AM

    Plants are wonderful the way they take every opportunity to grow. Most often, it's what we refer to as weeds that take over. But some plants are really strong, like your sunflowers-- left for the birds, they sprinkle seeds at random.

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  5. Sojourner WilliamsAugust 12, 2014 at 10:53 AM

    Great name- "Godzilla Sunflowers." The one that's tinted a burnt orange color is stunning. Sunflowers are lovely summer flowers. I can't believe how quickly this summer has flown by. I do love the sound of crickets at night though :)

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  6. AmyGAugust 12, 2014 at 7:02 PM

    Alana,
    If some of these are wild sunflowers (which get huge, too!) then they are a boon to honeybees, bumblebees, and all sorts of native pollinators, too. This time of year there are not many flowers blooming and the sunflowers have got lots of pollen for the bees.

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