A flowers that loooks like a sun (Sunflowers)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Sunflowers
Date:	07/06/08 (118 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good flower

Disadvantages: none

Sunflowers, Helianthus are a plant/flower that most of us will recognize. Most species of sunflower will grow about 4 -5 feet/1.2 -1.5 meters tall one will grow to 10 foot/3 meters, and then there are a few smaller species growing only 1 foot/30 cm tall.

The sunflower has bright yellow petals; there are a few red petalled varieties now too. The centre of the sunflower dark brown.

The sunflower is easy to grow from seed and is one that is often grown by children; competitions had to see who can grow the tallest sunflower.

Last month at school I planted some seeds with the children. We put the seeds in pots and when they had started to grow we started measuring them and I made a chart. Before the half term holiday we planted them out in the garden so that they would not die from lack of water in school. Sadly when we returned to school after the break I discover that the sunflowers had been eaten by slugs, luckily I have a few seedlings in school that I did not plant out so we have them to watch grow .

The sunflower is a very easy seed to grow if growing in a pot just plant the seed about an inch /; 2 ½ cm deep in the compost outside you can sow the seed about 2 inches /5 cm deep. When the sunflowers begin to grow they will need staking so that they do not blow over in the wind.
Sunflowers are grown commercially I have traveled through France and seen fields after field of them.


Sunflowers are quite a good wild life garden plant some butterflies will nectar on them and keep the seed heads as birds will happily eat them. Sunflower seeds are often used in pet food too.

Sunflower oil is used for cooking and the seeds can be eaten too roasted ones make good snacks and I make a good carrot and sunflower seed salad.

The sunflower is an enchanting and useful plant. Sunflowers feature in some famous paintings such as Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers. Thanks for reading Mary.

Summary: Sunflowers