Providing we don’t get unexpected snow, hail, sleet and rain in high summer, we can put that cold not-s-real-spring far behind us. What could be better to lift the summer spirits than…
Sunflowers!
Sunflowers bloom in late summer and take at least 6 weeks to grow from seed. The best way to grow sunflowers is from a good sized plant. They need lots of heat…not that heat is much of a problem any more in the South Sound summer. Sunflowers are cheery and easy to grow. They bloom from mid summer through October. They need sunshine and not a lot of water. You can find dwarf sunflowers like Elf or Teddy Bear that grow to only 16” or taller varieties like Mammoth Grey Stripe, 10 feet tall with 12 inch flowers or Starburst Sunflowers that grow to 7 feet with 11 inch flower heads. The best thing to do is just go for any sunflower that suits your space. Sunflowers are annuals.
Bees and butterflies are attracted to sunflowers. In autumn the birds get their chance at the seeds and if you are inclined to get the most out of a plant, you can try roasting and salting your own sunflower seeds. However, David and Sons Sunflower Seeds in their iconic blue and red packages are a lot easier.
The alternatives to bright yellow sunflowers are…
Grandma’s Rudbeckias
Rudbeckia varieties include all of those tried and true Gloriosa,Daisies and Black-Eyed Susans that are still blooming into October when not much else looks as lush. Rudbeckias are perennials with a love of sun and not much water. Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ is short enough not to need staking and is one of the easiest to grow. It tolerates light shade. Rudbeckia ‘Herbstonne’ has large golden yellow blooms with reflexed petals on long stems and makes a great cut flower, Rudbeckia ‘Little Gold Star’ grows to about 16” doesn’t need staking and makes a great border or container plant. Rudbeckias attract butterflies and other pollinating insects. All butterfly garden seed mixes contain some form of Rudbeckia.
It’s always helpful in any garden situation to know your gardening enemies and allies. An in depth and comprehensive look at a community of some surprising garden friends is in…
“Garden Allies” by Frederique Lavoipierre
“Garden Allies-the Insects, Birds & Other Animals That Keep Your Garden Beautiful and Thriving” covers everything from microscopic bacteria that help break down and decompose to worms that churn the soil right through to nitrogen fixing nutrient delivering mushrooms.
A chapter on Roly-Polys, aka pillbug or potato bugs and the dreaded earwig explains their actual benefits. It takes some convincing.
Lavoipierre dives deep into the importance of and varieties of bees as allies. There are 20000 bee species, both solitary and social.
Butterflies and moths, wasps, mud daubers, hornets, various flies, beetles right through birds and bats are all given their time in the spotlight.
If this sounds like a book for the science based gardener…it is…it’s all about balancing nature.
Timber Press, $24.95, 300 p. illustrated