Sunflowers

I just love sunflowers - they are large, showy and positively brighten up any gardens when blooming.

I grew my first sunflowers - the large plate-like yellow ones - way back in 1981. That was when I just came back to Kuching from the UK and was staying at my parents' old house (previously mentioned, now shuttered up). The seeds were from my old secondary school teacher, Fred Black, who returned to Australia in the 70's. I was in Kuching for only 18 months before I moved to Singapore. The flat there did not provide enough patio space for much of a garden there!

Even our garden in PJ was just not big enough nor got enough sun to grow a row or two of sunflowers - the mango tree and rangoon creeper shaded most of the garden.

Different story now in Kuching :-)

I tried to get sunflowers seeds from local supermarkets and seed stockists but somehow I cannot get them to germinate. Again the seeds had to come from Australia, courtesy of Sui Tin! The first packet of seeds were of the large yellow sunflowers but it never arrived - lost in the post :-( She sent a second packet but of the smaller mixed bronze shades which arrived safely.

Well, here they are though not all are in bloom yet.

Don't you all think they look gorgeous?