Double Sunking

The one third of our back yard that receives full sun is a micro farm. As a family, we are growing corn, spaghetti squash, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, beets, watermelon, a variety of herbs and a cut flower garden. During planning sessions, my husband and son asked for sunflowers. Problem. I don't love sunflowers. To me they always took up an unnecessary amount of room, grew giant heads that drooped soon after blooming. I'm not one to crush hopes and dreams though, so I had to find something that could work. I researched different sunflower varieties and learned about Double Sunking and Teddy Bear sunflowers. These charming poof balls were a great compromise. We planted from seed and had great success with multiple healthy plants each producing at least 20 heads per plant. Both varieties are cheerful and impressive. I love using them in the house to brighten up any space as well as sharing them with friends and neighbors. Their reactions are always big smiles followed by a lot of surprise and questions. Next year we will plant again in more strategic placing to screen or cover blank wall space.