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Monday, July 23, 2007

The Sunflower Grotto

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketWelcome to the Sunflower Grotto! What fun it has been, this summer, watching the sunflowers reach incredible heights. We've begun tying their "heads" together to form the roof, and the effect is quite charming...a nice little "grotto" or cave which the little girls like to sit in with their dolls.Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

If you've never made a sunflower house or grotto, it is really quite simple. In a sunny location, dig a crescent or horseshoe shaped trench. The size is entirely at your discretion. Scatter sunflower seeds (the mammoth variety) closely together (leave about two inches between each seed - you can also plant a smaller variety in between, if you wish). Water frequently...sunflowers require a lot of water. A few short weeks and your grotto or house will have reached sufficient height to begin forming the roof. The roof is formed by simply tying together adjacent "heads" or blooms. We don't mow inside the grotto...the tall grass provides a lovely carpet for little ones to sit and kneel upon. Enjoy!

3 comments:

Leticia said...

Ours is really tall too, but I guess I planted them too closely, so my five year old is afraid to enter her Sunflower Grotto.
Yours looks SO cozy!

Kimberly said...

I've heard that it's possible to dig maze shaped trenches and plant the seeds very close together...that sounds like a lot of fun, we might try that next year!

EC Gefroh said...

This is lovely and something I would have done as a child.