It’s time to plant summer’s sunniest, tallest flowers! Choose your favourite variety, plant some seeds and watch them grow. How many days until they grow taller than you? How tall will they be when they flower? Have fun with your friends to see who grows the tallest. They grow super fast and they can have flowers as big as dinner plates!
There are lots of different kinds of sunflowers, even dwarf ones which are perfect for growing in pots. For a really tall sunflower, try Yates Ginormous FlowerZilla, which can grow up to 5m tall! All are easy to grow from seed and it’s time to plant them now!
Bees, butterflies and other insects visit sunflowers to feast on pollen and nectar. Meanwhile, the pollen sticks to their bodies and they spread it from flower to flower. Without these insect pollinators there would be no sunflower seeds and no more sunflowers.
Hint: Sunflowers planted in a large group for a big block of colour are more likely to attract visitors – especially butterflies.
Tall plants like sunflowers, beans and corn make fantastic huts. Sow some seed today and before school goes back after Christmas you’ll have a fantastic spot to keep cool on a hot day, read a book or hang out with your best friend.
Sow your seeds in a circle or a square, with enough room in the middle to sit and play. Then water, feed and watch your hut grow!! Use stakes for sunflowers or beans. Corn will support itself – and you can even use corn as a support for sunflowers or beans. Lay straw to make a cosy floor in your hut, and to stop weeds from growing.
2 cups rolled oats (finely ground)
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
125 butter, melted
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 cup sunflower seeds (roasted & unsalted)
1/2 cup chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a food processor, blitz the rolled oats until they are almost like flour. Add the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and mix thoroughly. Add butter and golden syrup and lastly the toasted sunflower seeds and chocolate. Roll into balls and flatten on a tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 10-15 minutes until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Cool before eating.
Sunflower seed & chocolate chip cookies