Sunflowers

The bears are always very excited when the first flowers start to form in July and, by August, their plants are covered with bright yellow discs.

They think it is great that their plants grow from little tiny seeds into the biggest flowers they could imagine. It takes a lot of work to look after each plant but the rewards are so worth it!

Another great thing about growing sunflowers is that, at the end of the season, when all the flowers have gone, the seed-heads, which are full of lovely sunflower seeds, remain for the birds to eat throughout the winter. So a special feast for them is a wonderful extra!

It's too late to grow sunflowers this year, but you could choose a sunflower to grow next year to see if yours are as lovely as those the bears grew.

There are many different varieties of sunflowers - some grow very tall, some have orange flowers rather than yellow, some have just a huge single flower, some have lots of little flowers all over them. Decide which type you would like to grow and buy a packet of seeds, then wait until next Spring and sow them just like the bears did. Look after them carefully and let the bears know how you get on!