Unsurprisingly, the sunflowers (that appeared in my veg beds!) are proving to be a firm favourite, with the added bonus of watching the goldfinches enjoying the seeds. I admit to leaving the flowers to do their own thing this year but next year any seedlings will be moved but close enough for me to still enjoy the visitors.
Do you find seeds saved from you sunflowers grow as the same variety as the parent, or do they revert back to some other variety?
The sunflower seeds have two parents, the female parent that provides the seeds and the male parent providing the pollen. The resulting seedlings therefore have a mix of the genetic material of both. This is what is meant when we talk about seedlings not coming true.
All through the summer it’s been the dahlias that have attracted the most bees , I only grow the singles and they are very popular indeed with buzzers .
If there are no other sunflowers types near by, but I would think the seeds would then come true. I am no seed expert at all, maybe seed growers can comment...
Hard to say but if I had to guess I’d say ivy in autumn is certainly the busiest plant with pollinators. Hawthorn in spring too. At the moment it’s probably the purple loosestrife.
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Have you got other types of sunflowers growing in your garden? @LeadFarmer ?