The sunflowers in our Suaimhneas Sensory Garden are a wonderful success this year! 🌻
Back in April, we planted sunflower seeds and watched them slowly begin to grow. Week by week, they grew taller and stronger, but nothing could have prepared us for the surprise that awaited us when we returned to school in September. Our sunflowers had become giants, reaching an incredible 8 feet tall!
Their bright yellow flowers have transformed the garden, adding colour, height and happiness to the space. They tower over us, making them impossible to miss. They have become a favourite feature in our sensory garden, and we love stopping to admire them. We have also enjoyed watching bees visit the flowers and seeing the sunflower heads follow the sun throughout the day.
While some sunflower heads are still flowering beautifully, others have now reached the end of their flowering season. We have carefully cut some of these older heads and started the drying-out process. Once they are fully dry, we will harvest the seeds and save them for planting next year. It is exciting to think that next year's sunflowers will come from the seeds of the flowers growing in our garden today.
The project has helped us learn so much about the life cycle of plants. From planting tiny seeds in spring to collecting seeds for next year, we have enjoyed every stage of the journey. It has also shown us how important flowers are for supporting pollinators and encouraging biodiversity in our school garden.
For now, we are enjoying the beautiful display our sunflowers have created in our Suaimhneas Sensory and Biodiversity Garden. Their cheerful yellow blooms continue to brighten the space, and they are a lovely reminder of what can happen when a tiny seed is given the chance to grow. 🌻💛
