Usually, I'm not above pointing and laughing at the silly things my friends do. Especially when we're out having a pint.
But...
I usually plant sunflowers every year. This year, I had decided not to.
Wayyyyy back, when I started this blog in January, I wrote a post called A Vegetable Garden's Lament. It chronicled the destruction of our former veggie garden. A garden that was crap, really.
We were planning a new one! We were thinking big!
Sadly, I had delusions of grandeur. Much like a schizophrenic. Maybe next time I'll wear a foil hat...
The above vision did not come to fruition (I hate the word fruition, why would I use it?)
I thought, what's the point of planting sunflowers this year? The former garden had all grown over into lawn (and I use that term loosely, our lawn is just a tightly grown clusterfuck of weeds). I would have to get out the shovel and break ground once again to make even the smallest of gardens.
April passed. May passed. June...
SUNFLOWERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They sprang to mind, and they haunted my dreams.
"Whhhyy didn't yoooou plaaant meeeee?"
I woke up in a cold sweat. Had I missed my window for planting?
I raced down to the garden center. Found a packet of seeds. Looked at the planting times for my area of the United States.
"March-June"
Yes! I wasn't too late!
I spent all afternoon digging a small sunflower garden in the second week of June. In the HOTTEST part of the summer. Like an idiot. Or should I say, like an Idiot?
They bloomed last week!
Aren't they....!
Short?
I mean *cough* I MEANT them to be this way! You've heard of Russian Mammoth sunflowers? These are....um....Canadian Pygmy sunflowers!!
Yeah.
Ok, fine. You got me. I admit it. I planted my Mammoths way to late and I got these stubby little excuses for sunflowers.
But aren't they kind of pretty if I photograph them the right way?
That's better.
They kind of make me think of that song "Short People" by Randy Newman, which is what the post title is from...
Short sunflowers ain't got no reason to live....
...but I like 'em.
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22 comments:
Sunflowers haunted your dreams? Well now thanks to that, quite frankly, freaky sunflower picture, I'm totally creeped out!! ;D
P.S. I like the ones you grew though, even if they didn't grow to epic heights.
Hey don't feel like and idiot! I planted my mammoths at the correct time etc etc - three plants survived from an entire packet AND they only grew to between 2 and 3 feet - not doing that again -next year I'm planting sweet pea - far prettier and more reliable!
At least, you have some... You can use them for a bouquet. I have several tomato plants which are green, lush and without any signs of fruit... Should I make a tomato bouquet? I planted them too late.
Dear Kyna, I should not wish to appear rude, for possibly a second, or even third, time to you, who are so forgiving of me [look back to big mistake made over comment on musical taste] over any little differences we may have, so suffice to say, your sunflowers look, well, interesting.
In size and scale they do not, I fear, resemble those currently flowering on the Great Plain of Hungary - nor will they - but as long as you are ecstatic/overjoyed/thrilled/happy/ pleased/pleasantly surprised/satisfied [delete what is not applicable], then all is well.
I think they're pretty. :D
And I think you'll be jealous... I was just handed a ready made veggie garden for the fall. Our Neigbours are moving and their renter isn't into gardening so they said I can have anything I want, all I have to do is pick it!
I think they're adorable!
I hear your pains! I've had terrible luck with sunflowers this year. Unfortunately only one has made it, and it still has yet to open. I am in sunflower envy.
Hi Kyna,
My Sunflowers usually end up that small anyway so I think you've done well! :)
It's never too late in my book.
And this is why I only post close up shots of my plants. Much easier to make them look lovely that way so you can't see the shriveled leaves, tiny plants, bugs, big gaps, weeds, garbage, etc. in the background. I like your sunflowers just fine!
Hee--MY SUPER late planted sunflowers (as everything else in my Tardy Garden) ALSO just bloomed last week--think it was Friday. They're not super tall, but sweet and have a good attitude. Love your last shot of them.
I only got one type planted this year. Next year WAY more and EARLIER!!
Now I have to get my fanny out there for 10 or 15 minutes a day to monitor for bees (this is part of a citizen science thing re: bees).
Psyched to watch any of your gardening adventures. =)
Kyna - do we or do we not always say that 'size does NOT matter'?!!! (Though the comments your readers have left on Sunflower un-success is a bit disheartening - since I was planning on planting some for next season --I want BIG @$$ plants for my SW garden.)
I think your "Petite Canadian Sunshine" sunflowers are absolutely charming! And they make me smile - wide! (I have to tell you though, that 'smilin' Sunflower picture is way creepy -- like slasher-movie creepy...) :D --Shyrlene
You know, my dad, who lives in Virginia was graced with exactly the same type of pygmy sunflowers!!! So just maybe it really isn't you!! (or maybe is it just you and Dad... either or)
Bub: If I'm good at anything, it's being creepy :)
Byddi: I planted a lot more than this too, and most of them didn't grow. I'm thinking something ate the seeds. Also, it's been so dry, that I'm sure that's part of the problem. The first year I planted sunflowers, my back garden was exploding with them.
Tatyana: A tomato bouquet...haha! I never think of making my garden flowers into a bouquet for my house. I don't know why.
Edith: You're never rude, I'm just too sensitive. For some reason it really bothers me when someone says something about my 'youth' (and I use that term loosely) or makes me feel unsophisticated (even though sometimes I suppose I appear that way). But that's all on me...if I choose to take something said in jest the wrong way, that's my problem, not yours. Forgive me :) You might (maybe) like my next Wednesday post, it actually does involve classical music ;)
I'm sure my sunflowers don't look like those on the plains of Hungary, I'd sure love to see them! With my limited income, there are sadly few places that I want to see in my lifetime that I'll actually GET to see lol.
Carlin: Lucky! :P
But it'll be your turn to be jealous in a month or so when it's snowing in Edmonton and I'll still be sitting on the beach, smartypants :P
Liza: Thank you! :D
Laura: Glad I'm not the only person with sunflower issues lol. I'm sorry yours didn't work out though :(
Liz: You've made me feel better lol. I should just be happy the birds and squirrels left me a couple of potential flowers, shouldn't it? :)
Marguerite: Yeah, I'm minding less and less about the crap in the background. Notice the first pic with the old garden's rusted fenceposts STILL sitting in a pile months after we took them down.
Hope you made it through Earl ok!
Babbler: You're right! :D You're doing a bee project? I love bees! That actually sounds like something I'd enjoy doing lol.
Shyrlene: Who says size doesn't matter? ;) Girl......
Meh, don't worry about what we've been saying. I'm still going to plant some next year, I'll just do it earlier. And maybe it'll be a little more rainy and less scorching outside. Yours will be fine :D
Jess: I think it was just my procrastination and the type of weather we've had. Mostly the weather. Too damn hot and dry! Sunflowers are hardy to that sort of thing, but this year it was just bad.
Ah, but that's still better than the sunflowers I planted in May one year; the two that weren't eaten by rabbits never did bloom, and only one reached a decent height before it declined to bloom (it was so close though, but I think an early frost did it in). Yours are still bright and cheerful, even if they aren't mammoths.
It's all a matter of perspective, don't ya know. Think of them as "kid-friendly"! Even my little son would be able to see their bright, happy faces. So, um, invite some little kids over and wow 'em. :)
I think they're cute. We have none this year and I even planted them on time. Just lacking the sun and heat was all :)
Now, I would have written an entire post about how I spent long hours in my labatory (with a blonde Swedish assistant in a very tight white coat, naturally) messing with the genetic structure of sunflowers to perfect the dwarf variants I now so proudly unveil. Then I would have sold the seeds on line, at a price premium as they are so rare, with planting instructions that ensured everyone sowed them late.
Everyone's a winner!
That second pictures is BEAUTIFUL. I've adopted Julia Child's credo for the kitchen to the garden: "Never apologize for anything you do in the garden." Hey, I'm The Girl Who Can't Grow a Zucchini, so believe me, you should not feel bad because your sunflowers didn't reach new heights. Shoot, I've started a page on my blog as a memorial to all the dearly departed plants I've failed at over the years. :-)
Also, tomato bouquet? YES! I love the smell of tomato plants. If not a single fruit developed (and that was my experience literally four years in a row), I'd still love my tomato plants for that smell.
Oh great. Now I have nightmares about happy funny sunny sunflower faces turning into hungry slavering Freddie Kruger heads waiting to devour unwary gardeners. Sheesh, why not just grow triffids? *whimper* ;-D
I planted two types of sunflowers - both very late - July I think. I got three plants from one and none from the other. The mammoth ones were the ones that didn't even sprout - I'm pretty sure the critters ate the seeds before they had a chance. The others are about five feet tall and blooming nicely but they aren't pretty - bugs ate the leaves and birds ate the flowers. But I did grow them for the birds, so I will try not to complain. Next year I'm starting early with LOTS of quality seeds!
I like your perspective :)
My favorite sunflowers are not mammoth. They come up from seed dropped by the birds and make kind of a bush. It will be some time before they bloom here. Your short sunflowers are terrific. Big is not always better especially when we are talking about flowers!
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