I planted these ‘Music Box’ kneehigh sunflowers from Renee’s Garden in a corner bulge garden (a planting area the City makes available where there might otherwise be concrete or a hell strip) near my home.
I wanted to plant sunflowers in the garden – a hot, sunny location right across from an elementary school – because community gardens seem to need sunflowers, don’t you think? But because it’s at the corner of an intersection, the plants there had to be low-growing. Once upon a time, this might have ruled out sunflowers entirely.
Nowadays there’s a variety of dwarf sunflowers with impossibly cute names (Munchkin, Sundance Kid, Teddy Bear, etc). I chose ‘Music Box’ for its multi-branched, bicoloured blooms, and they didn’t disappoint. At less than a foot high, they provided the garden with that warm, carefree feeling sunflowers evoke – if not the impact of the traditional sky-high sunflower. I’ll plant them again next year: these were fun, super low-maintenance little plants that transformed an otherwise barren corner of my neighbourhood!
Shibaguyz says
LOVE the look of your blog! The vibrant header really is eye catching.
Laurel says
Those are super cute! I’ve been pining for sunflowers, so if I am stuck with the balcony next year, I will keep these in mind :)
Nancy Bond says
Aren’t those just a patch of pure sunshine? Sweet.
Karen says
I had ‘Munchkin’ courtesy of my seed-sprouting mom this year and last. Definitely agree that they are the cutest little cheery blooms and don’t seem to lure the squirrels into devouring them as the tall ones do. Cool that you are brightening up the public landscape with your “corner bulge” (I love all the different regional names for these spaces – hadn’t heard “hell strip” before either!). Broadening out our gardens into the street does so much for the community, in my (admittedly biased, since that’s the entire focus of my blog) view. Way to go!
Andrea Bellamy says
Shibaguyz – thanks! Just checked out your blog, too, and I’ll be back for more!
Laurel – Good idea. They’d be great on a balcony.
Nancy – Pure sunshine, definitely!
Karen – What do you call it in Seattle?