Last summer Elf had a crop of mammoth sunflowers at the Beach House. They were freaks in many respects, but they did do that endearing sunflower thing of turning to follow the sun through the day.
This year's sunflowers are also giants, but they refuse to swivel. They face east, all day, all night, to Elf's disgust. Still, they are impressive specimens, amazingly anthropomorphic. When I am out among them hanging out the washing, I really feel like I have sentient company. It amazes me how fast they get to this size, without any particular cosseting or fertilising. 12 weeks from planting a seed to a head-high flower, and a stalk as thick as a Elf's forearm. They are apparently great for the soil, and quite apart from the uses of the seeds, look at the sheer bulk of the stalks. Surely they should be a natural for bio-fuel, or paper, or something?
