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Sat, Sep 20, 14 at 8:31
| This was the third year I've planted Tithonia 'Torch'. I love them, butterflies love them, bees love them and so do hummingbirds. The first two years were in two different spots at my old house, and this year at my new house. It can't be the location, and the seeds have all come from different sources, so it's got to be something I'm doing wrong. They grow healthy, they bloom beautifully...and they're 8 to 11 feet tall. I've waved the seed packets in front of them and showed them articles on my phone, describing the height at 5 to 6 feet, but they don't listen. I like them planted behind zinnias in the "butterfly greeting area" on the south side of the house, but landscaping attractively for flowers taller than my ranch-style house isn't easy. They get about 11 hours of sun over there, the soil on that side drains well and tends to be slightly dry, but again, they didn't get the height memo. It's not even rich soil; it's average at best. What am I doing to create giant, mutant Mexican sunflowers? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Ha! They must lu-u-r-ve you! Save some seed for me. :) I grow them off and on. Love the color - that bright, almost psychedelic orange, but their lower leaves tend to start looking ragged and ugly, so they really need a screen of shorter plants in front to hide it. Guess you're not having any trouble finding things shorter to put in front - LOL. - Alex |
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| I was just kidding about saving some seed for me - doubtful the mutant-ness is something genetic anyway. :) |
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| Torch will easily top 6 feet, even in the UK.....but you could look for Fiesta Del Sol which is a much more compact variety and will stay 3-4 feet. I think T&M do a tithonia mix, 'Arcadia' which are also smaller. Also, I sow mine at the same time as the zinnias - directly into the soil in mid May - plenty of time for them to make good flowering growth - as they are short day plants, they will never flower earlier but will simply put on masses of vegetative growth, just getting taller and taller. |
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