Only one sunflower managed to bloom this year. I had several varieties growing but Autumn was simply too cool for them even though the summer itself was warm.
Luckily Sunspot (Helianthus annuus ‘Sunspot’) grew large and beautiful bloom to save the summer. I had it growing in a large pot with other flowers.
Sometimes this just happens up here in the north. For certain flowers our summer is simply too short sometimes. Better luck next year.
I still have few pictures left on my phone from the summer. It was actually not that good year for the sunflowers but Sunspots (Helianthus annuus ‘Sunspot’) made it.
For a sunflower Sunspot is a short one but the blooms are big, nearly the size of a tall ones.
It is a bit shame that they bloomed late and there is no hope for harvesting any seeds for the next year.
The Giant Sungolds (Helianthus annuus ‘Giant Sungold’) finally started to bloom.
It was not a good year for sunflowers. The spring was cold and that caused a slow start. Therefore there was not enough time to grow. Which is unfortunately quite usual up here in the north.
Luckily the Giant Sungolds seem to be able to open their first and largest blooms just before the first frost.
They are almost three meters tall and look so good.
It has been awhile since I have written. Been traveling a bit and enjoying life.
Autumn is here though the days are still surprisingly warm and the water in the lake is still 20 degrees Celsius. Cannot remember a summer like this.
I was planning to have pictures about late blooming lilies, beautiful lobelias, tall sunflowers and colorful dahlias in my blog. Unfortunately we had a thunderstorm yesterday and it poured tons and tons of hails on us.
Now most of my flowerbeds look like salad bowls and do not have that many things to take photos of. Well luckily it is end of the season so I do not feel bad.
Two dwarf sunflowers made it through the storm so not everything was lost. The teddy bears are the ones that I always like to have in the garden because of their reliability and sweet appearance.
Autumn has been beautiful. Sunny days and only few rainy ones. The nights are already cold but some of the flowers are still standing.
Spent the whole day outside enjoying the colors of October and planting bulbs for the spring. Hope they make it through the winter. Was not that successful last year and have selected hardier varieties this time.
The dwarf sungold sunflowers are blooming. Finally I would say. They made it but only barely.
Usually I have selected the teddy bear as the dwarf variety but could not find the seeds anywhere in the spring. The two varieties are very similar but teddy bear blooms a bit earlier and that makes all the difference up here in the north.
The nights are getting long and dark up here in which means that I have plenty of time to start planning for the next summer.
Twilight Zone sunflowers made it and finally started to bloom. This was the first summer I planted them.
A successful experiment even though part of them were lost to moles who seem to be numerous this year.
As a variety it is small and short. A tiny spectacle among larger sunflowers with a bit peculiar look.
Still have some seeds left for the next spring. Need to look for more different varieties to experiment with.
This is the second summer when I can enjoy sunflowers blooming early.
Happy that I found Ruby. It grows fast and starts blooming as early as in July. About a month earlier than any other variety I have tried.
The color of the flower is nearly brown when it opens and it changes to a mixture of yellow, red and orange when days go by.
The lake is now free. Liberated from ice and ready for the spring.
The cats are happy. The fishing season has started and they are ready for the fresh fish.
I am thrilled. Finally I can start to plant and grow flowers. My pockets are full of seed packs and I am running around wildly.
The spring came early this year. I have never ever been able to plant anything at this time of the year. It still tries to snow a bit but I do not care.
Only the early Siberian squills are blooming but they are so beautiful and the first promise that others will soon follow.
The first frost will come any day now. It has not yet shown itself but you can feel it in the air. It will wipe out the flowers still standing and make us wait seven long months before it will be warm enough for the first spring flowers to bloom.
Our summers are short but full of light. Long days make everything grow fast. Like each day was their last and there would not be tomorrow.
Then comes the winter an endless feeling time period for a gardener. Nothing to do but wait and hope for an early spring.
On this sunny and beautiful autumn day I walked outside saying goodbyes to the few flowers still trying to bloom. Teddy Bear was still standing proudly. This year the summer was too cool for it. Barely it was able to open its flowers on time but there was not enough time for it to produce any seeds for the forthcoming spring.
Luckily I still have some left so I can enjoy its beauty next year as well.
PS. Teddy Bear is one of my favorites. Short but always creating an outstanding show for the audience.
Now that I have found the sunflowers again I wanted to try a new color. The ones I have cultivate earlier have always been yellow.
I ended up choosing a red variant called Ruby. The summer was cool so I did not expect much from my experiment but in the end it turned out that the Rubies did not mind. Enjoying the constant rains we had.
They grew to be strong and tall and even started to bloom late July which is early here in the north. My reliable Teddy Bears have not even started yet and it will be September before they start their show.
I think I will see red sunflowers next year as well! I was so happy with the results.
When the bud opens the color is red but it slowly fades to orange. They are beautiful to watch in the evening light which really highlights their colors.
PS. Bought my seeds from Stockmann and each seed germinated.
Gardening in the North 