Supersized Sunflowers Liven Up Garden

Supersized Sunflowers Liven Up Garden CROPS Miscellaneous If you love sunflowers and the bigger the better we found a couple of standout varieties you may want to try in your garden In Sandy Ore Larry Hilliard has spent a few years developing his Super Sunflowers that grow 14 ft tall and produce about 30 heads “They have all yellow petals with dark brown to black centers ” he says “They get so many flowers I usually have to brace them when they start to lean The stalk gets up to 5 in in diameter near the ground ” Bees love them and when the flowers turn dark and wilt he cuts the heads off and stores them to feed birds through the winter They aren’t meaty enough for roasting for human snacks but birds love them he says Hilliard usually starts his seeds on a damp towel to make sure they germinate then transfers them to small pots to get a good start They do well in Oregon and he says they should grow bigger in regions where nights are warmer Hilliard has limited seed available from the largest heads that he will sell for $3/pack or $5/two packs cash only Seed can be saved from the heads to plant the following year If you prefer big-headed sunflowers Rob’s Rare and Giant Seeds offers Sunzilla Sunflowers 5 seeds for $1 79 plus shipping www robsrareandgiantseeds com The heads can grow to more than 12 in in diameter and the plants grow 16 to 24 ft tall when grown in full sun The seeds are suitable for humans and birds Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Larry Hilliard 60040 E Marmot Rd Sandy Ore 97055 ph 503 622-3574; iamperfect2@msn com

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