sun flowers

[ianglyn]

hi.
iv done all my garden lovely,you should see it for yourselves.
all it needed was a bird perch with some nuts for them.
but my wife wanted to put a couple of them ball that birds peck on.but we noticed that there was something growing from the ground below the perch.
we have waited to see what was growing there.
guess what it was!!!!
where the birds have pecked away some of the bits were falling onto the dirt and iv now have around 30 sumflowers growingthere.1 is around 6ft tall and stands alone but the rest of them range from 2ft to around 5ft tall but there are more than 1 sunflower coming from its root.
can anyone tell me what time scale that they will stop growing.most of the smaller flowers are open and are babout 2-3 inches in size but the big 6ft 1 hasn't started to open.will the cold weather get to them before they open and die.
any help at all would be greatfull.

[Ethel]

I can't help you with your sunflowers, but from experience you should pick up the discarded seeds regularly, especially with the colder weather coming on as they attract rats and mice.

[vivandorron]

Congrats on your sunflowers. With the present warm spell there is still a chance of the rest of sunflowers bearing blooms. However, Ethel is right about those ball things which drop seeds and attract vermin. Hope there isn't any Hemp amongst the seeds (not unknown) because you could end-up in court for cultivating Cannabis.....Ron

[coccinelle]

I suggest using those 'balls that birds peck on' only in winter months as birds can find enough food over spring, summer and autumn. In winter, there are robins about that will eat the seeds that drop below.
I used to put budgie seed down for the birds but seeing wheat, barley etc coming through in spring, I stopped!!!