Last year I think I planted 100 sunflower seeds. I planted another 50 or so in little tiny peat pots and nursed them to seedlings. And not once, or twice, but three times I attempted to plant a sunflower house, but my work and toil was all for naught. The bunnies got the best of me, and a fabulous salad to boot.
Boy Boy was so furious that in his best 4-year-old thought process he suggested we put up fences with lasers and cannons. I don't think I'll go quite that far (although I have to admit that lasers sound pretty attractive), but it's time to get thinking about this year's grand attempt at a sunflower house.
Don't know what I'm talking about? The idea, I believe, was first written about Sharon Lovejoy. She's got an amazing book, one of my favorites, called "Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots" and among other whimsical garden ideas is a sunflower house.
By planting giant and not-so-giant sunflowers in a square or circle, at full-growth they create their own little room or house. To me, it sounds incredibly magical, a place where fairies would surely live and prosper.
I'll try to post updates on here, including photos of me loading up the cannons should the bunnies return.
I should add that last year before the bunnies, we had to deal with the toads. Here's a shot of how we lost a few seedlings:
Oh you poor dears. I just checked all my new sunflowers and the snails and slugs got them last night. I'll start over. Here is my hint to you. Buy cheap big paper cups. Plant the seeds in the cups. Let them grow to about 4 inches, slit cup bottom, place them in the soil. Cover all with either those little plastic strawberry baskets, floating row covers, or nylons slit open, or cheesecloth laid gently over the sunflowers. Sprinkle with talcum powder, which bunnies hate. Toads are a GARDENER'S BLESSSING!!!! They don't hurt plants, but they DO eat slugs, larvae, and all bad guys. Green blessings, Sharon Lovejoy
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