A year of growing Sunflower — detailed seasonal notes

Here are my notes from twelve months of growing Sunflower:

Spring: cutting back meadow areas in autumn to remove thatch. This was the moment that confirmed the whole venture. I focused on scarifying or scratching the soil before sowing for seed contact during this period which set up the rest of the year.

self-seeding and naturalising without annual replanting developed steadily through the warmer months. rabbits and slugs targeting young seedlings appeared in summer and required prompt treatment. The plant in a wildflower meadow replacing lawn areas performed better than I'd expected for the position. Overall: a rewarding year. The investment of attention is paid back generously.