Sunflower…

Here it is. My one sunflower from the packet of seed that I found lost in my seed draw, the packet that should have been used by 2008. I knew that there was little chance of them taking, but even so I sowed around a dozen of the shrivelled husks in individual pots and put them in the greenhouse. Hoping but not really expecting any of them to grow.

This one must have been particularly hardy, a survivor, a sunflower with the will to live, because despite all the odds it grew and grew and now stands a proud eight feet tall in my backyard enjoying the sunshine and soaking up the rain.

I find it amazing that anything can grow so tall in just a few months - from tiny seed to mighty plant in a season. To give you an idea of just how big it is, that's a standard size hanging Basket on the right and that grey trowel handle in the foreground is eight inches long.

I like my sunflower so much that next spring I shall plant more sunflower seeds, and this time I’ve bought a new packet.