Growing Ornamental Sweet Potato Vines - Propagation

Growing Ornamental Sweet Potato Vines

The deeply lobed leaves of the sprawling vine of the Ornamental Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) continue to be quite a show stopper in the garden. It's a great way to add a tropical feel to even the northern gardens.

Best Sunflowers for the Birds

When I have the time to sit back and enjoy what I've created in my garden, one of my favorite things to do is enjoy the sights and sounds of the birds. Growing sunflowers is one of the best ways I have found to draw the feathery visitors in.

Which birds do sunflowers attract?

  

A variety of birds can be attracted to a garden by growing sunflowers. These include Cardinals, Chickadees, Titmice, House Finches, Grosbeaks, Nuthatches, Goldfinches, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Pine Siskins, to name a few.

Why are sunflower seeds nutritious for birds?

Sunflower seeds are rich in protein, vitamin B-complex, Vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, and Zinc.

Not every sunflower type is the best food source for birds. Ornamental sunflowers, although they come in a wide variety of colors and sizes, produce edible seeds, but they're very small.
If you're looking for sunflower varieties to harvest for nutritional edible seeds for both birds and humans, here are some great choices.

 

Taller Edible Choices

Mammoth Russian

A favorite of bird lovers for years; single head.Height: 12 to 15 feet

Flower Head Size: 15” Thin shelled, plump, meaty seeds.

Mammoth Gray Stripe

Long blooming sunflower from summer to fall; single head.

Height: 8-12 feet

Flower Head Size: 10-12”

GiganteusBlooms early to late summer; single head, generous seeds.Height: 10 feet

Flower Head Size: 12”

Kong HybridForms a massive wall of foliage. Rapid grower; branching.Height: 8-15 feet

Flower Head Size: 10”

Note: Pinch at 5 feet tall to create a tall, dense hedge.

SunzillaOne of the tallest sunflowers. Very productive with large yellow blooms.

Height: 12 - 16 feet

Flower Head Size: 18-24”

Hopi Black DyeAn old heirloom. Seeds are used by Native Americans for dyeing wool and baskets. 

 Generally single-headed, but is occasionally multi-headed with varying size heads.

Height: 7-11 feet

Flower Head Size: 5 - 13” Seeds are purple to black

And if you need to update your bird feeders to fit the size of sunflower seeds, here are some great ideas:

And if you are just starting to grow sunflowers for the birds, you can start by purchasing seed to get the birds used to an area.

 

Shorter, Easy-to-Reach Edible Cultivars

The shorter varieties have larger, plumper seeds that were bred for snack use.

Super Snack Mix Hybrid

Height: 5 – 6 feet

Flower Head Size: 10”; single head

Seeds: Huge seeds which are easy to crack open.

Royal Hybrid

Traditional type variety with larger seeds.Height: 7 Feet

Flower Head Size: 8”

Seeds: High seed productivity, grey striped.

Sowing Your Sunflower Seeds

When to Sow

It's a good idea to sow sunflower seeds as early as your weather will allow. The taller varieties need 100+ days from seed to harvest and the shorter varieties need at least 75 days. 

For a longer harvesting season, succession sow several batches of sunflowers over a five to six-week period or sow them indoors earlier as described below.

Sowing the SeedsDirect Sowing into the garden

Sow sunflower seeds in a half-inch deep furrow, 6” apart then cover them with 1/2” to 1" of soil, depending on the seed size. Thin to 2 feet apart when the first true leaves appear. The temperature of the soil should be +70 degrees for good germination.

Since sunflowers have a long taproot, it is advisable to loosen the soil up to one and a half to two feet in depth. Adding compost and manure to the sowing area will promote vigorous growth and meatier seeds.

The soil needs to be well-drained. Soil with poor drainage can stunt a sunflower's growth.

Large Trays for Sunflower Sowing

Indoor Sowing

Sow indoors to get a jump on the season 2-3 weeks before your last expected frost date. Keep moist under strong lights until planting out when all danger of frost has passed. Transplant carefully.

Winter Sowing

If you haven't given winter sowing a try, you will find that winter sowing sunflowers is very easy. See our full winter sowing article by clicking here.

Caring for your Sunflowers as they grow

Sun

Full sun. Optimally at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. They LOVE the heat.

Water

Sunflowers benefit from periodic deep waterings. They can withstand hot, dry weather. When the heads first appear, do not overwater since the heads may deform.

Mulch

2” for water retention.

Wind Protection

Shelter from high winds that can bend and break young stems.

Staking

Stake the sunflowers every 12" with soft ties or these great stakes.

Fertilizing

When the second set of leaves appear, fertilize the plants with a slow-release fertilizer 8” deep into the soil. Sunflowers are heavy feeders, so a second application mid-season may be necessary.

 

Protecting the Sunflower Seed Heads

Of course, you can leave your sunflowers in place and naturally feed the birds through the season. If you want to be able to harvest and save some seeds for later feedings or sowings, though, you will need to protect the developing seed heads by wrapping them in cheesecloth, netting or tying paper bags around the stems. 

Allow three weeks to a month drying time before picking them.

When to Harvest

You'll know when it's time to harvest your sunflower seeds when you see the backs of the blooms are brown and the sunflowers are dying back. The seeds should appear plump and somewhat loose at this stage. 

Cut the stalk about one foot below the flower head. Hang the sunflower heads upside down in a dry place until the seeds are completely ripe and dry.

Drying Sunflower Seeds for Later Use

Rinse the seeds, dry thoroughly in a single layer and store in an airtight container.

 

Growing sunflowers is a great way to not only add beauty to your garden, but to attract some great birds!  Start growing some today!

~~~~~~~~~~

Where to go next!

Great Garden Articles -- Full List!

Hosta Articles - Full List

Follow us on Pinterest!

Follow us on Instagram!

Back to Our Blog Home Page!

This post may contain Amazon affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases without costing you anything extra.

Making and Using Leaf Mold in the Garden

Leaf mold
A free, readily-available resource!

Garden Lights

Leaf mold (leaf compost) is quite simply decomposed leaves. It is one of the best soil amendments you can use to bring new life to your soil. It has a texture much like compost, dark brown to black, and has an earthy aroma. 

Leaf mold acts mainly as a soil conditioner by improving the soil structure. It WILL NOT add nutrition to your garden plants but it will enhance the condition of your soil creating a soil that is rich in calcium and magnesium and is less prone to compaction.

All About Transplant Shock

How to Minimize Transplant Shock

Transplant shock is a natural occurrence whenever a plant is uprooted from its former home and moved to a foreign environment.

Moving a plant from one place to another is not as simple as digging it up, plopping it in the ground and hoping it will be fine. Plants that undergo too much transplant shock can be open to diseases, pests, and can weaken them to the point where they never fully recover. If they are food plants, you may notice a smaller harvest or no harvest at all.

Growing and Using Comfrey

A great organic idea for your veggie garden!

One of the most popular plants to grow in an organic vegetable garden is the Russian Variety of Comfrey specifically Bocking 14. 

How to Compost

Composting 101
A Little Art and a Little Science

Composting, in a nutshell, is turning your waste into nutrient-rich soil for use in your garden.

You can read about the subject in such depth as to make your head swim and find it to be quite overwhelming. But whether you start with a compost bin or a designated 3 foot by 3-foot area, knowing a few basic principles will help you achieve that rich, earthy-smelling soil amendment that we all want.

Why You Need a Rain Barrel Now!

One only needs to read about Flint Michigan's ongoing problems related to their water system to realize that clean water may not always be available to us.

How to Harden Off Seedlings

Getting your seedlings to a healthy state and ready for the great outdoors can be a challenge in itself.

They've been loved and pampered indoors, probably under fluorescent grow lights with pretty consistent temperatures.  So there's no doubt that it can be a big shock for them when they are moved to the variable and sometimes harsh elements outside. 

15 Garden Chores for Early Spring

Early Spring Garden Chores

Although the term “early spring” for me in Zone 6 Ohio may not be the same time as the “early spring” for your garden zone, for this article, early spring means that time of year when winter seems to be coming to an end and intermittent freezes and thaws are happening in the garden. The first signs of Spring!

15 Common Reasons for Veggie Garden Failures

15 Reasons for Veggie Garden Failures

I personally don't believe there are people with “green thumbs.” Successful gardening of any type takes good planning and dedication to follow through. Your plants are like children; they need what they need when they need it and not when you have time to do it.  

Using Wicker Baskets for Making Hypertufa

This article presumes that you are familiar with the basics of making projects with hypertufa. If you aren’t familiar with the process, or just need a refresher, go to our Hypertufa 101 article with step by step hypertufa-making instructions, by clicking here.


I have made several hypertufa projects and by far my favorite mold for making planters is wicker baskets. They can readily be found for a few bucks at second-hand shops so I don’t worry that they will be destroyed by the process.


When you firmly push the hypertufa mix into the wicker basket’s cracks and crevices, the final look has a basket imprint which I find hard to match by any other method.

  

Types of Wicker Baskets

The thickness and strength of the wicker basket is important. Baskets that are thicker with a tighter weave will give you the deepest imprint on the final project but will be more difficult to de-mold later.

Recipe for Wicker Basket Planters

The common mix recipe of one part Portland Cement, one part peat moss and one part vermiculite or Perlite works well for small to medium planters.

Building on the Inside of the Basket

The above wicker heart was used as a mold to build the hypertufa on the inside.  It will be a small planter just big enough for a mini hosta or sedum.

Wicker Baskets are generally used as inside molds so that beautiful wicker design is imprinted on the outside of the planter. It’s important to firmly press those hypertufa meatballs into the basket.

  

Here's a thicker basket filled with hypertufa.

 

DeMolding from a Wicker Basket

There are a few things you can do to make de-molding the project from the wicker basket easier.

Greasing the inside of the basket with Vaseline or cooking spray before adding the hypertufa mix is one way.

A trick I have learned is to vertically slice one area of the basket from the top to the bottom. Then place some duct tape over the slice to hold the basket steady while you build.

When it's time to demold, pull off the tape and begin the slow process of demolding at the area that you previously sliced open.

There are few garden projects that are as easy and rewarding as making hypertufa garden art and planters.

If you haven't tried it yet, read our Hypertufa 101 and get started!  You'll be hooked in no time.

Where to go next!

Great Garden Articles -- Full List!
Follow us on Pinterest!
Back to Our Blog Homepage!

This post may contain some Amazon Associate links meaning that I will get a small compensation at no expense to you if you purchase something from this blog.

  

Feeding Bread to Wild Birds

Generally, bread is not safe to feed birds on a regular basis, and the general category of “bread” for this article includes any bread-like product including buns, bagels, crackers, chips, etc.  

 

Winter Sow your Vegetable Seeds!

First off, if you are unfamiliar with the basics of winter sowing, you may want to start with the Winter Sowing 101 article, then come back for the vegetable sowing specifics.

Zebra Finch

Choosing the Best Birdbath

We all prefer birdbaths that add beauty and whimsy to our yards, but the birds themselves may be looking for something else, things that were designed for them in mind.

You Have Winter Sown Seedlings! Now what?

Winter Sown Seeds Have Germinated!

Now what?

So you’ve tried the winter sowing method and found out that it’s easy and it works. Mother Nature woke the seeds out of their sleep and now you’re getting lots of little seedlings popping up in their snug, cozy containers.

Using Baking Soda in your Garden

Uses for Baking Soda in the Garden

We all know that Baking Soda is great for indoor use as a mild abrasive cleaner and also to neutralize those fridge odors, but what about its uses in the garden?

Baking Soda is made up entirely of sodium bicarbonate which is a highly alkaline substance making it great for the following uses in the garden:

Choosing the Right Bird Feeder

Walking out on my back deck at 7 a.m. and hearing the happy chirping of the birds I have drawn into my yard makes the perfect start to my day.

Common Reasons that Hypertufa Cracks

Why Hypertufa Projects Crack

This article presumes that you are familiar with the basics of making projects with hypertufa.  If you aren’t familiar with the process, or just need a refresher, you may want to first go to our Hypertufa 101 article by clicking here.

Why Birds Aren't Using Your Birdbath

It’s been said that birdbaths attract more birds than bird feeders do. I believe that may be true as I know plenty of people who have several feeders but no birdbaths in their yard and they are wondering where their bird visitors are.

If you have a birdbath that is open for business but no feathery customers are visiting, you may find the reason below.

Problems with Placement

1. Birds simply don't see the birdbath.

Even if a birdbath is clean and filled with sparkling water, it's not doing the birds any good if they can't find it. The birdbath should be easily seen from the sky.

2. The birdbath is placed in full sun.

The water may be too warm to be refreshing. Moving the birdbath to a shadier spot may be all you need to do. Some shade will also keep the water fresh longer.

3. The birdbath was placed in an area that doesn't appear safe.

Skittish birds feel safer if they can see in all directions while they drink or bathe. They also want to see a quick route to flee from danger or even perceived danger. A birdbath that is too far from cover may discourage your birds from landing there.

Place the birdbath in an area where there are some trees or big shrubs nearby but not close enough that predators can hide near it.
Birdbaths placed on the ground can be hard for the birds to see and be more dangerous than ones placed on pedestals. 

If you must have the birdbath placed on the ground, be sure to place it at least six feet away from places where predators could lurk.

The birdbath itself.

4. Slippery Surfaces.

Many birdbaths, like ceramic ones, have a rather slippery coating that may force the birds that are trying to land there to make a rather unnerving landing.

A simple solution to this is to arrange stones (or branches) in the water so birds can safely land on them then stand on them to drink without touching the slippery surface at all.

Try Prime Discounted Monthly Offering

Problems with the water.

5. The water is too deep.

The fact is that birds can drown in deep water. Birds prefer very shallow water where they can safely sip or bathe.

As a rule, the deepest part of the bath in the center should be no deeper than about two inches.

6. The water in the birdbath is not clean.

It's pretty obvious that birds will not visit a birdbath that is full of decaying leaves or debris or has a growth of algae. Not only will birds generally ignore that birdbath altogether, but they could get very sick if they do visit.

7. Clean water is not continuously supplied.

Once your birds have become used to a water supply in your garden, you should ensure that you continue to offer it to them. If your birdbath is often empty, then birds will soon try to find another more continuous source of water.

Those Sneaky Neighbors!

8. The area birds have found a better option.

Maybe your neighbor has a more inviting location for drinking and bathing!

If this is the case you can one-up your neighbor's offering by adding a source of moving water to your birdbath. Not only does moving water attract birds, but it will also prevent mosquitos from breeding there. And a side benefit is that birdbaths with moving water won't need to be cleaned as often.

Above is a pretty inexpensive solar fountain pump that can do the work for you.

If you're more a DIY-er, here is a great idea I wish I had thought of myself.

Recycle an old bucket or plastic container by punching a tiny hole in the bottom, filling it with water, and hanging it above the birdbath so the water drips slowly down.

Another way to outdo the neighbor is by making sure that your birds have water to drink, even in the coldest weather.

The heated birdbath pictured above is the one that I use.  I like that it sits securely on my deck rail so I can watch the birds from the warm comfort of my window!   

Or you can purchase an inexpensive deicer like the one above.  With either choice, you can expect some activity all winter year long!

~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you found these tips helpful.  Here are some related articles about the care of your feathery friends:

~~~~~~~~~~

Choosing the Best Bird Bath

Great Gifts for Bird Lovers

Choosing the Right Bird Feeder

Blog Home Page

This post may contain Amazon affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases without costing you anything extra.