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Sunflowers
Chris the Gardener
Posts: 20
The central flower on my Sunflower has completely closed, the leaves are dead and I'm not sure what to do next.
The flowers on the collar seem to be fine so do I keep the main flower on or dead head it?
Thanks in advance
0
Posts
I always leave the flowers on to develop seeds ... the birds love them
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
At this early stage I think I would be inclined to take off the flower and it should shoot out again and give many more before the season ends.
Dove, do you leave the seeded flower head on and the birds feed from it? or do you remove it and collect the seeds for the birds? Thanks.
I removed the head and it's in the bin. I'll retrieve it today and leave it in the Sun. I wish I'd left it on as I opened it up and it looked like fresh leaves growing on the inside. I've not made the same mistake with my other sunflowers :-(
If the seeds haven't formed they won't form now it's off the plant, might as well put it back in the bin. There'll be lots more
In the sticks near Peterborough
I leave it on and let the birds feed from it. it's great fun watching when the fat wood pigeons try to perch on the sunflower to get the seeds ... if they break the stem, which sometimes happens, I then hang the sunflower head up for the bluetits etc.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.