Sunfinity Sunflowers

Oh my goodness, I do love sunflowers. I've never been successful in growing any in the flower gardens as they do require a lot of light and space, which is something our backyard does not have. So, this year we purchased a large planter with a Sunfinity Sunflower and put it on the deck so that the deer wouldn't eat it.

It was love at first sight! The plant has lots of flower buds just waiting to open, all season long!

I enjoy seeing the buds gradually open. It is kind of like Christmas in a flower every time! The petals are such a deep and vibrant yellow and unfurl a few at a time over several days.

As the flower matures, the tiny disk flowers attract bees who love to sup on the nectar. I love the symmetry and patterns of flowers. They bring me such incredible joy.

In researching these particular sunflowers, I found that they do not produce sunflower seeds like those that we eat. I found a few flowers that some birds decided to dismantle looking for seeds, but never did seem to find anything to their liking. I left all the mature flower heads on the stems, just in case some bird wanted to eat them, but I think I'll cut them off to allow the plant to produce more flowers! 

By the way...this post is dedicated to my sweet niece of a pup, Cherise, who brings me a bit of sunshine when I see her each day. She is in surgery right now having work done on her tail. Poor girl. I hope her spirits will lift soon, although she will have to wear the dratted cone for awhile!