Herb's Sunflower 'Eclipse'
Helianthus annuus

A few of the heads were ‘ripe’ enough to be removed so I chopped four of the most developed. I’ve put these in a brown paper bag to dry out a bit more.
So I’ll be eating some, planting some, giving some back to Andrew, and some on to a local Folian: Harvester.

The big fella is has so many flowers that it is struggling to stay upright. I’ve tied it up best I can but don’t want to drive another stake in as it will damage the root system. Some of these flowers should be ready to pick soon.

The top flower has opened up more today. I measured it roughly (as I can’t reach the top) and I reckon it to be about ten feet tall. I might have to climb on top of the roof to get future shots its getting so big. I gave all three a really good soaking and noticed that the largest one seemed to lean a bit. So I have tied it to the twine that is supporting the other two.

At last the top flower has begun opening. This is the tallest Sunflower I have ever seen. The other two plants beside it are not as strong and its a struggle keeping enough water up to them. I put several buckets of water on each night and sometimes they also get buckets from the shower in the the mornings.

Now to sit back and enjoy the show.

I noticed after taking this photo that s small flower bud is finally appearing on top of the largest of the three plants. I reckon its 8 foot or very near if not.

Reaching for the Sun. These three sunflowers are about 4 feet tall. I expect to see some buds forming soon.

These are doing surprisingly well considering the lack of water.