Greetings!
Among my many vegetables are also a few sunflowers. I read that cucumber plants grown among sunflowers are sweeter than those grown away from sunflowers. I don't know if that is true, but i do know that my sunflower plants attracted so many insects and birds that they are well worth growing. The cucumber vines also reached out and used the strong sunflower stems to pull themselves up and grow skyward.
Because the sunflowers are on the edge of the patio, far above any surrounding plants, they are unsheltered from the wind. Unfortunately there was a windy storm Sunday night in Gorham and when i came in on Monday morning i found headless sunflowers!
And broken stems!
And i was sad.
BUT! We and the birds had our chance to enjoy the sunflowers waving to us over the fence and though they met an untimely end, some of the stems that did not break in the storm are blooming from lower parts of their stems. Also, i planted a new batch of sunflowers among my cilantro which will be blooming shortly (see the photo below).
Until they do, i'll just have to enjoy my hyacinth running bean which was a gift from Cindy Carroll, crew leader for Gorham Grounds at USM and a true gardener. The bean arrived as a smallish plant but has thrived and is in full bloom now. First it climbed a little cage i put over its pot, then it climbed a 6' bamboo pole. Next i slid it under the lights in the greenhouse and now it has climbed up the chains holding the lights to the ceiling frame. I have been coached to save the seed pods and plant more beans next year. I can't wait! Check it out below:
Grow on,
Tyler
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