King of the sunflowers 2024

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Analoguesat

Analoguesat

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IIts started a bit late but heres the annual King of the Sunflowers competition. As usual all are welcome to join in. No prizes, just the knowledge you magnificent flowers stand tall & proud over the puny effots of everyone else. Our seeds got planted today - everything is all in a muddle here as SWMBO currently has her ankle in plaster so things are running late with much of the planting.
 
They need to go outside soon, but there's always a chance of frost, so I'll probably repot them and wait awhile.

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It has taken a while to get the camera down the garden.Only three this year,not sure what they are probably Mongolian Giant.Which ok .Not much chance of getting taller that 7 foot.My knees are not happy climbing steps and ladders these days.
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As we were supposed to be moving I did not plant this year but the birds have planted a couple of tiddlers for me
 
I have not been paying mugh attention to the Sunflowers this year.Only three planted.I thought that they were Mongolian Giant.Thats ok they will not get more than 7 foot.Now Mrs Ponti has told me that they are Titan.Dam I thought that I was done with climbing up the steps.I have been doing more important things this year I do not have much go in the hot weather now.I have been spending more time on important things like sitting under the brollys with a cup of coffee.and a couple of cans before tea.One must get ones priories right.:)
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My plants after the slugfest earlier this year.

The Evening Sun's height has surprised me - 10' 6". I've usually managed only half that size before.

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Some of ours are suffering badly from slug & snail damage to the lower leaves The tallest one is currently a bit under 6 feet :-doh :-rofl2
 
As I mentioned I did not plant any this year however a kind bird has planted one at the base of my olive tree and it is a least 2' 6inches tall, when it flowers, I will post a picture
 
Still going up.One is at 10 foot.The tip of the canes is ten foot.If the one on the left gets any taller it will have to cope with the squirrels sitting on the head I am done climbing up steps and ladders to tie them to tha canes.
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Topper said:
As I mentioned I did not plant any this year however a kind bird has planted one at the base of my olive tree and it is a least 2' 6inches tall, when it flowers, I will post a picture
Click to expand...
Well it did flower but when subtracting the pot size it is actually a mere 23inches:-rofl2
 

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Mine are done .The two on the right have had the heads taken of by the squirrels.Even though the heads had only just started swelling.It is the young ones that do that.The one on the left looks to be just over 10 foot.it looks like the squirrels have been on that one too..
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We have had really bad problems with snails & slugs eating the lower leaves on the sunflowers this year - Most of the poor sunflowers the lower leaves are in tatters, nothing left apart from the leaf veins.

Plus with the summer long strong winds due to the jetstream being parked more or less slap bang over the England / Scotland border for weeks on end they have had to be tied up tight to canes to stop them breaking. And the strong winds have caused extra problems here - we grow all our plants in buckets as there is no more than an inch of soil in the garden so they have dried out REALLY fast. We ended up standing them in plastic trays to try to retain some water.....
 
No problems with soil or weather here apart from unusually strong winds this month. The 10.6 footer is now 18" higher, but is now keeping vertical by resting on the washing line - the cane it's tied to is not much help now.

Glad you've got a decent show of one of yours despite the weather etc.
 
Official end of season measurement was taken on the nice sunny evening yesterday. Our champion this year (& probably one of the tallest we have ever grown topped out at 2.20m (about 7foot 3 inch)

Im pleased with that considering the problems we have had :)


Hooray - we havent finished last!! :-rofl2
 
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