Jul 25
2010

Bigger Than Mammoth Sunflowers

I never really understood the interest in growing monster vegetables to see how big they can get. To me, the point of vegetable growing is to eat the things. But more often than not once a vegetable reaches gigantic proportions it is no longer edible.

But perhaps it’s akin to my fascination with  sunflowers. I have grown short, bouquet-worthy sunflowers. I have grown stunning, nearly black sunflowers. I have grown dainty sunflowers. But what I really adore is a colossal sunflower. Towering sunflowers. The kind of sunflowers that makes visitors stop and say, “Is that real?”

Until this year the tallest sunflowers I have grown were Mammoth. They grew to about 8 or 9 feet, towering over the rest of the garden.

But this year I grew Titans—the biggest yet.  I measured them this morning at 12 feet tall.

Visitors ask me if they are staked because it seems so improbable that a flower on a single stem that tall could stand up without assistance. But the stalks are nearly as round as my wrist,  so they are standing tall all on their own.

Now, what’s bigger than a Titan?

Be Sociable, Share!
Robin
There are 27 comments
Filed in: Flowers, Gardening
Tags:

27 Responses to “Bigger Than Mammoth Sunflowers”

  1. Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings Says:
    July 25th, 2010 at 8:26 am

    Those are some cool sunflowers. Mine didn’t do much. I think the cooler weather and too much rain. I may try to grow more (shorter ones). Yours are lovely giants.~~Dee
    .-= Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings´s last blog ..Native flora perform double duty in the garden =-.

  2. dave bockman Says:
    July 25th, 2010 at 9:35 am

    LOVE them. When I was a lad, I would see the very mature ones, the flowerheads of which were very droopy and bent with their seed loads, and say, “Look, they’re checking out their new sneakers!”
    .-= dave bockman´s last blog ..Howdy Partner… =-.

  3. Mr. McGregor's Daughter Says:
    July 25th, 2010 at 10:37 am

    Those tall sunflowers remind me of France. Is that what does it for you? They are awesome.
    .-= Mr. McGregor’s Daughter´s last blog ..Feeling Austin- Texas =-.

  4. Shannon Says:
    July 25th, 2010 at 10:39 am

    Hi Robin. These are absolutely gorgeous! I’m so jealous! My Mammoth’s seem to have some sort of rust this year. Have you heard of that?

  5. meemsnyc Says:
    July 25th, 2010 at 12:07 pm

    OMG, Wow! Those are tall sunflowers! Stunning! We grew the small ones this year. And I just got a packet of Mammoth ones that I am dying to try. How long did it take for these Titans to get that big?
    .-= meemsnyc´s last blog ..Grapevines- before and after =-.

  6. Anette the Gardener Says:
    July 25th, 2010 at 1:11 pm

    Wow, Robin! Your Sunflowers have really become big :-) That’s impressive. Right now we’re trying to grow some too. It seems like they’ll become big too, but I’m wondering if they’ll become just as big as yours.

    Do you have any good tips on how to make Sunflowers grow so tall?

    Best,
    Anette
    .-= Anette the Gardener´s last blog ..Repotting Plants In a Container Garden =-.

  7. Carol Says:
    July 25th, 2010 at 1:47 pm

    That’s impressive, considering they were started from a seed in the spring. I’m adding Titans to my list for next year.
    .-= Carol´s last blog ..Not Every Lily Is A Lily =-.

  8. Leslie Says:
    July 25th, 2010 at 3:28 pm

    Wow, are those real? Seriously, I think I might need to try those next year!
    .-= Leslie´s last blog ..Ideas I Am So Stealing! =-.

  9. Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening Says:
    July 25th, 2010 at 7:31 pm

    Who sells Titan seed? And have you tried Sunzillas? Renee’s sells them
    .-= Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening´s last blog ..Garden Bloggers Bloom Day July 2010 =-.

  10. PatioPatch Says:
    July 26th, 2010 at 7:47 am

    What a stunning sunny statement your sunflowers are. Bet the neighbours are impressed and the bees

    Laura
    .-= PatioPatch´s last blog ..A Garden Full of Wishes =-.

  11. commonweeder Says:
    July 26th, 2010 at 9:04 am

    Those are fantastic sunflowers. We have sunflowers fields in our town – for oil production – but I don’t think they grow this tall.
    .-= commonweeder´s last blog ..Cultivating Family =-.

  12. Susan Says:
    July 26th, 2010 at 12:52 pm

    Robin, do you harvest the seeds or let the birds do it? The squirrels would need ladders, I think.
    .-= Susan´s last blog ..Crimson and clover =-.

  13. Robin Ripley Says:
    July 26th, 2010 at 3:31 pm

    Actually, it would be great to see them massed in the back field here, wouldn’t it? Now that would remind me of France!

  14. Robin Ripley Says:
    July 26th, 2010 at 3:32 pm

    Hi Shannon,

    These seem to have some sort of rust too. Now that I think about it, when I have grown Mammoth sunflowers they had some rust too. But the flower outruns it and I usually end up just picking off the yellowing lower leaves since I don’t want to spray near the fruits and veggies.

    Robin

  15. Robin Ripley Says:
    July 26th, 2010 at 3:33 pm

    Hi Meems,

    I went back to my Lee Valley garden journal to see if I recorded the date that I planted the seeds. Of course, I didn’t. But I did a lot of planting in mid-April (non-specific notes) and I think that’s when they went in.

    Robin

  16. Robin Ripley Says:
    July 26th, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    Hummm. Tips? Well, give them plenty of room. Water regularly. Plenty of sun. That was helpful, huh?

    Robin

  17. Robin Ripley Says:
    July 26th, 2010 at 3:36 pm

    Hi Kathy,

    I bought these seeds from Baker Creek. If you try them you should know that there were only about 8-9 seeds in the package. They all germinated and it’s enough to fill the space, but that seems like a very few seeds to me.

    I just read about the Sunzillas in the latest issue of the American Gardener. 16 feet! Those will definitely be on my list next year.

    Robin

  18. Robin Ripley Says:
    July 26th, 2010 at 3:36 pm

    Hi PatioPatch. No neighbors here to see it! But the UPS guy likes them!

  19. Robin Ripley Says:
    July 26th, 2010 at 3:37 pm

    I just leave the sunflowers in place over the winter. The birds always pick them clean. No real squirrel problems around here. I have baffles on the bird feeders.

  20. June@FourGreenAcres Says:
    July 27th, 2010 at 9:42 am

    Sunflowers make a garden so cheerful! I love your massive stand. The rains last year didn’t allow us a single bloom. So I’m reveling this year in our colony. They seem to watch over all the goings-on in the garden.

    Thanks for sharing your source. I may try some giants next time around.

  21. Sharon Lovejoy Says:
    July 28th, 2010 at 11:55 am

    Love them!

    I grew Paul Bunyan’s and they climbed to 14 feet.

    Sending good wishes,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

  22. Wilma Says:
    August 1st, 2010 at 9:12 am

    Beautiful pictures. Didn’t plant any this year, but I love sunflowers. Can’t believe they are so tall.

  23. Fallon Shay Says:
    August 2nd, 2010 at 11:27 am

    I love your sunflowers. Ours didn’t do well this year–it’s been very cool. But last they were huge. Maybe next year will be better…
    .-= Fallon Shay´s last blog ..Purple =-.

  24. BeekeepingSuccess Says:
    August 2nd, 2010 at 11:52 pm

    WOW!! i love those sunflowers!! it’s sooo awesome!
    .-= BeekeepingSuccess´s last blog ..Hello world! =-.

  25. Natalie Says:
    August 14th, 2010 at 5:47 am

    Very impressive sunflowers!!!

  26. Marissa Says:
    September 2nd, 2010 at 4:44 pm

    I absolutely LOVE your site! I got hooked on it a couple weeks ago, reading previous posts and such. But I am very bummed that you haven’t written in over a month! The plants, tips, and good buys are very good handy in my book. Please keep writing!!

  27. stone art blog Says:
    September 9th, 2010 at 4:26 am

    wow 12 feet, thats impressive!
    .-= stone art blog´s last blog ..The ancient salt mines of Wieliczka- a blog post from Poland =-.

Right Now at Bumblebee

February 3rd, 2012

If you’re in the neighborhood and just happen to have your paintbrush and paint clothes with you, stop on by. Harry and I are taking the day off from work to start painting the master bedroom. We figure it’ll take until Sunday. Harry does most of the rolling—no small chore with high ceilings—and I do all the tedious detail work. You, of course, can pitch in wherever you like.

We’re painting it a dove grey. So if you see some grey in my hair in the next few days, it’s paint. Got it? The grey is paint.

Robin

Be Sociable, Share!

February 2nd, 2012

Happy Groundhog Day! What are you doing to celebrate?

We’ll have a special dinner of NOT groundhog. Dinner will be a special pasta (TBD) and some yummy homemade yeast rolls. Then we’ll pull out the photo album of past Groundhog Days and reminisce. We will toast Puxatawny Phil by opening the first bottle of my homemade apfelwein, which I hope is sparkly by now. If it’s any good, you’ll hear more about it.

Cheers!

Robin

Be Sociable, Share!

February 1st, 2012

Working from a home office is not always what it’s cracked up to be. I have a lousy IT department (me). Interruptions range from barking dogs to crowing roosters. I hear my business phone ring during non-business hours.

But there is a lot good about a 15 step commute. Such as today. It’s cloudy and a bit drizzly, but the temps will climb into the mid 60s for the second day in a row. I will turn off the heat, throw open the windows and give the house—and office—a good airing. Ahhh!

Robin

Be Sociable, Share!

January 22nd, 2012

It’s cold here with a bit of ice and snow on the ground. The hens hate it.

There was a huge, chicken-y traffic jam at their window/door this morning. As I opened it three hens bolted outside. But they beat a hasty retreat back into the coop while other hens were still trying to get out. There was an impasse and much chicken shoving. There were no injuries—unless you count my sore sides from laughing so hard.

Robin

Be Sociable, Share!

View archived notes »