Okay, some here have been counting birds early this spring, some of us are on the Monarch watch and I just found a Bee counting project. http//www.greatsunflower.org
I have seen the Lemon Queen Sunflower at our local Target store and thought about buying it a couple of weeks ago, now I have a reason other than desire to go get a packet.
I signed up to count...hopefully I'll be able to keep the squirrels and bunnies from chomping down my sprouts.
This sounds like another worthwhile actiuom, Toni. I really believe that these types of projects can be helpful. Thanks for the interesting link.
I found Lemon Queen Sunflower seeds at a Lowe's today. They are recommended plant for bee counting. My problem...squirrels, chipmunks and bunnies root up the seeds, bite off the sprouts, and even have managed to get past the plastic canvas tubes I enclosed the sunflowers inside in a vain attempt to protect them. I am going to try and start them indoors and let them grow to a height the critters can't reach. I know this is not the recommended way to grow sunflowers, but I have to give it a try. Has anyone had any luck growing sunflowers from an early planting inside?
Hello drizzel, I didn't know that germinating sunflower seeds indoors was not the recommended way. That's the only way I have ever done it, and I grow them every year. I usually let them grow to a height of ten or so inches before planting them out. I usually transplant them once or twice before putting them in the ground. I have never tried the "Lemon Queen".
Thanks Sjoerd, That gives me hope that this year, I will have better success. Out of 48 seeds sown last year, only 4 plants made it to the blooming point. Everything else I grow never fails, well almost never, but of course, I desire sunflowers the most!!!
great thread toni! i joined and reported our bees last year. it was fun! am planning on doing it again this year. drissel, i start mine in homemade paper pots, that way the roots don't get disturbed when i transplant them. sjoerd, what do you plant yours in? i was wondering how the root trainers would work, also?
Would you elaborate on how, please? As for wild bees, last year was the first in a while that I saw any real numbers of wild bees. I was so shocked to see 20-30 of them on wildflowers in the middle of town on the river bank. I hope our counts go way up compared to previous years. I am even planting a ton of flowers just to attract them to my veggies. Hopefully I don't get stung more than 5-6 times, anymore and it gets annoying.
Okay this is going to sound over the top, but has anyone ever petted Bumblebees...not honeybees, I would never attempt that, and not the mean carpenter bees, but the fuzzy, slow moving bumblebees? I have...I love to do it when someone is watching...the look of amazement on their face is worth it. I don't get stung, not in many, many years of being so bold. A little nutty aren't I?
My sons do it, I haven't in a while but they can be very docile when they are eating. But we have 2 kinds here, the black and orange ones which like to be touched and the black and white ones which do not like even see a person coming toward them.
