When nature gets it right!

[cptncrackoff]

Thought I'd share this, just because it cheered me up on a crappy day!.

Last year we grew giant sunflowers, not entirely sure of the variety but I'm pretty sure they were hybrids!

This year we have a few volunteers.. couldn't be much more different to the parent, these are tiny! A foot tall at most.. and frilly when the parent had much larger more traditional petals!... but I love them!



..so..experts.. if I keep the seeds from these..what's the chances the offspring from this will look the same!?

[muddled]

Can't answer your question but if they do come true, any chance you can send some to the seed swap? Because that flower is really lovely!

[Nicos]

No idea, but I too am willing to join in the experiment to see how they come out next year!

Absolutely beautiful!

[noviceveggrower]

A lovely picture cptn

[Mr Bones]

Couldn't say but that's great. Sunflowers always raise a smile.

[Containergardener]

Brought a smile to my face, first post I've read today. How lovely well done cptn

[cheops]

I have to readily agree - your photo and sunflower is beautiful. Keeping seed from this flower hoping they will also produce the same beautiful flowers - unfortunately I wouldn't think so. If I am correct your new plants will be very random. The reason is insects will crops pollinate with other sunflowers. The only way you could produce 'pure seed' would be to cover a flower with e.g. a plastic bag so no insect can cross pollinate but of course you would have to hand pollinate yourself.
This explains why say, you buy white foxgloves seeds and plant. Sure enough you get white foxgloves. But when they self seed the next generation of plants will be a range of colours from the wild purple to peach to cream etc. This summer I let lots of foxgloves grow in my flower beds. They just came up probably their seeds arrived with birds and animals. I had normal purple foxgloves, pure white ones and even some peach ones. At least you will have memories and that wonderful photo to last you a lifetime.

[cptncrackoff]

We shall give it a go!

I'm sure we could save some seeds..

[vixylix]

I suspect you'll get something entirely different again... but maybe it will be even better!

Nothing ventured nothing gained...

[Chris11]

Thought I'd share this, just because it cheered me up on a crappy day!.

Last year we grew giant sunflowers, not entirely sure of the variety but I'm pretty sure they were hybrids!

This year we have a few volunteers.. couldn't be much more different to the parent, these are tiny! A foot tall at most.. and frilly when the parent had much larger more traditional petals!... but I love them!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]66232[/ATTACH]

..so..experts.. if I keep the seeds from these..what's the chances the offspring from this will look the same!?

Unusual and very attractive sunflower there cptn

It would be good if you could find the name of the original variety somewhere?
Are all the volunteers the same, or is there a fair bit of variation between them?

Either way, definitely go ahead and save some seeds

I bought a mixed pack of sunflower seeds more than 10 years ago, and have been saving seeds for the following year ever since. It's always fun to see what's going to grow. I've also got some volunteer sunflowers in the lawn, which somehow haven't been munched by slugs and snails, so I'm mowing around them and will give them chance to grow to full height if they can.

I've seen a sunflower variety that only grows to a similar height to yours, but still grows a large head, although the petals look more standard. It's called Sunspot:
Sunflower 'Sunspot' - Hardy Annual Seeds - Thompson & Morgan

[cptncrackoff]

Hi Chris!

Really wish I could figure out what the original seeds were.. I think they were some the kids got from somewhere..free, aimed at kids.. but I can't find the packet!

There's a few other plants all the same height.. 12" ish.. One I'm flower, one with a head and the others are still growing!

I've found varieties with the frilly petals but most of them seem to have a darker centre..

Either way, looking forward to gathering the seed and seeing what comes next year! .

[SusieG]

Hi Cptn, what a really cheerful pic of your glorious sunflower..!!
It'll be interesting to see what comes from the seeds next year .....

I'm hoping that my 'tiddlers' (Evening Sun, sowed on 22nd May) will eventually grow and flower - if we ever get enough sun, that is...!!!!!!

[cptncrackoff]

Hi Susie,

Hopefully the weather will come right for you.. it's been good here!

I am growing some black sunflowers quite close so there's all sorts of possibilities!

[Ryez]

Golden cheer & Greenburst sunflowers has a greenish centre with frilly petals, but they are not dwarfs. Would be nice to find them in dwarf versions, very cute and managable!

[cptncrackoff]

There's a few more to come..



I wonder if they'll cross with these... I'd love these but dwarf!...and frilly... That could be amazing!