"The Big Surprise"
by Vicky Fannaly
I'm a seed fanatic. I buy them online in bulk, plant them and forget about them. Last year, I stocked up on cheap seeds at Dollar General, honing in on the unusual sunflower selection. Several sunflowers seeds came up with larger than usual velvety leaves and kept growing six and eight feet tall. Wow! Butterflies were always clustered around the plants.
So, pleased with the results, I posted pictures on Facebook and was amazed when one of the "Likes" - from a lady in Southeast Asia whom I had never met - mentioned that they called it a Mexican sunflower there. Then I remembered that I had bought a lone pack of Tithonia just because it was offered by the dollar store.
Described as being sunflower-like shrubs, I felt exonerated for mistaking its identity. Tithonia rotundifolia make full, tall shrubs. Sown in early March and spaced three feet apart, the plants are known to surpass a height of six feet in the rainy season. Plants are known for their heat resistance. That makes it perfect for our long, humid Louisiana summers.
The plants grow vigorously but sometimes take four months to bloom. I was amazed to find that they were rarely without a butterfly or bee buzzing around them. Even hummingbirds checked them out. Light soil is recommended. My seven foot plant was grown in a flower pot although I am sure the roots ran beyond their container.
This is an amazing plant. Battered by storm winds, some branches broke almost completely off and were hanging by a single thread. I braced them up and they continued blooming with their bright orange yellow blooms. Resembling zinnias, flowers are 2-3" across. The leaves are broad, heart shaped - three lobed or entire - and feel wonderfully soft to the touch having a velvet like texture. The hollow flower stems are very delicate and bend easily.
Mexico is the origin of this glowing flowering plant, hence its common name. Hints for using these in arrangements are to cut and sear the hollow stems, then place them in a vase of warm water. I usually wire them as they bend easily with no provocation.
I had tried transplants in previous years with much disappointment. But from now on, I will be planting seeds of this remarkable plant. Sometimes it's great to be surprised! This was a good surprise.
Bibliography
Hay, Roy & Synge, Patrick M, The Color Dictionary of Flowers & Plants, New York NY: Crown Publishers Inc., 1974
Rodale, J.I., Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, Emmaus PA: Rodale Books, Inc., 1976.
Macoboy, Stirling, What Flower is That?, New York NY: Crown Publishers Inc., 1973.
Crockett, James Underwood, Annuals, New York NY: Time-Life Books, 1971.
Schuler, Stanley, The Gardener's Basic Book of Flowers, New York NY: Simon & Schuster, 1974.
So, pleased with the results, I posted pictures on Facebook and was amazed when one of the "Likes" - from a lady in Southeast Asia whom I had never met - mentioned that they called it a Mexican sunflower there. Then I remembered that I had bought a lone pack of Tithonia just because it was offered by the dollar store.
Described as being sunflower-like shrubs, I felt exonerated for mistaking its identity. Tithonia rotundifolia make full, tall shrubs. Sown in early March and spaced three feet apart, the plants are known to surpass a height of six feet in the rainy season. Plants are known for their heat resistance. That makes it perfect for our long, humid Louisiana summers.
The plants grow vigorously but sometimes take four months to bloom. I was amazed to find that they were rarely without a butterfly or bee buzzing around them. Even hummingbirds checked them out. Light soil is recommended. My seven foot plant was grown in a flower pot although I am sure the roots ran beyond their container.
This is an amazing plant. Battered by storm winds, some branches broke almost completely off and were hanging by a single thread. I braced them up and they continued blooming with their bright orange yellow blooms. Resembling zinnias, flowers are 2-3" across. The leaves are broad, heart shaped - three lobed or entire - and feel wonderfully soft to the touch having a velvet like texture. The hollow flower stems are very delicate and bend easily.
Mexico is the origin of this glowing flowering plant, hence its common name. Hints for using these in arrangements are to cut and sear the hollow stems, then place them in a vase of warm water. I usually wire them as they bend easily with no provocation.
I had tried transplants in previous years with much disappointment. But from now on, I will be planting seeds of this remarkable plant. Sometimes it's great to be surprised! This was a good surprise.
Bibliography
Hay, Roy & Synge, Patrick M, The Color Dictionary of Flowers & Plants, New York NY: Crown Publishers Inc., 1974
Rodale, J.I., Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, Emmaus PA: Rodale Books, Inc., 1976.
Macoboy, Stirling, What Flower is That?, New York NY: Crown Publishers Inc., 1973.
Crockett, James Underwood, Annuals, New York NY: Time-Life Books, 1971.
Schuler, Stanley, The Gardener's Basic Book of Flowers, New York NY: Simon & Schuster, 1974.