Re: Sunflower?
- To: perennials@mallorn.com
- Subject: Re: Sunflower?
- From: B* P*
- Date: Mon, 01 Feb 1999 16:34:38 -0600
- References: <00b801be4d89$bb055620$8794b3cf@ossprey>
Neil-
In-state tuition is bad enough.
Hard to tell what the yellow flowers are, but here are a few guesses:
The common wild sunflower?, except there are so many species around. There is
one even called Indian potato (Helianthus giganteus) which makes me think it has
tubers. Or how about H. maximilianii - Prairie sunflower(6-8 ft.) which is even
offered in the Park Seed catalog (p. 67). Definitely hardy to zone 4. I don't
know if it is the one in the roadside ditches around here, but I guess it could
be called a weed. There are even some called river sunflowers (H. decapetalus);
and I bet they all cross pollinate!!
I have some variety in the back of my yard (was here when we moved in) which
blooms in pretty shady conditions in late summer. It spreads a lot by rhizomes!
(I've tried to contain it).
One year I grew Jerusalem artichokes (H. tuberosus) in my garden; I was told
they wouldn't bloom here (too short a season), but they did -- a 3 inch yellow
daisy-type flower. I grew it for the edible tubers, and inevitably missed a few
during harvest, had it the following year, and finally got rid of it! Too
vigorous.
If yours grows and blooms, take a flower or a whole plant to a botanist for
identification. Why doesn't God put tags on his wild flowers?
--
Barb P.
SE Wisconsin, Zone 4
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