Discover St. Charles in the Fall

 One of my favorite places to visit, is a town that is only a few miles away from me.  It is historic St. Charles Mo.  It has a very vibrant Main Street that attracts visitors all year long.  I have written about this area several times in the past and I will include those links later in this article.  Today I want to review with you some of the photographs I took on a beautiful fall day in October 2022.  First of all, here is a photo I took telling a little bit about the history of the area.

Main Street in the Fall

Main street is a wonderful area with cobblestone streets and sidewalks and lots of delightful little shops and restaurants.  In the fall the shopkeepers do a wonderful job of decorating for the season.  We saw lots of pumpkin displays, colorful leaves and some very imaginative displays.  Here are a couple of the photos I took on Main Street.

Halloween Decorations and Activities

Halloween is a fun time on Main Street.  There are a variety of activities for all ages and the shopkeepers have some wonderful displays for the holiday.

You can click on the QR code in the above photo to find out about the Legends & Lanterns tours that take place on Main Street.

These fun characters are motion activated and you can hear them talk and sing when you pass by.  Below you see some of the decorations around the gazebo, which is a gathering place in the middle of Main Street.

The Riverfront Area

A block down from Main Street is the Missouri river.  This area has a wonderful park that provides some great trails and walks along the river.  There is an old train station, and you can see some train cars on the tracks.

There is a lot of history that took place in this area including a departure spot for Lewis & Clark.

Other Articles about St Charles

Here are four other articles I have written about the area.  The first is about the era when St. Charles was the first capitol of Missouri. Visit Missouri-First Capitol  .  Another article was written on the riverfront area. Frontier Park

A favorite time in St Charles is during the Christmas season.  Here is an article on that. Christmas in St Charles

Several years ago I went on the Worldwide PhotoWalk in St. Charles.  Here is an article I wrote. Worldwide PhotoWalk

Read More about St Charles

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2022 Favorite Garden Tools

Oh garden tools! I have known quite a few in my amateur garden career. But there are some tools that become staples in the gardening collection. The tried and true. 

Some new, some old and all valued. So here are my top five cannot do without garden tools - helpers-accessories!

1. Container Gardening City Pickers Raised Garden Bed

Love, love this rolling cart for container gardening. After the loading up the cart with dirt, the cart still rolls easily. This is a very nice feature for not just moving the cart around a deck or patio, but if you have plants that can do well inside in the winter. Just roll the cart inside! Review here >> City Pickers

The raised bed is available in different colors to suit your landscape. I have only had to fill the bed once with dirt and each year a successful harvest. 

2. Ironclad Gloves

New entry for this year. Purchased in 2021 to replace a pair of garden gloves and the Ironclad Utility gloves have quickly become a favorite. Review here >> Favorite Utility Gloves Review: Ironclad Gloves

The gloves fit very well to allow easy maneuvering of garden tools of all types.

3. B Hive Smart Hose Timer Wifi

Purchased in 2021 this WIFI timer for your sprinkler quickly headed to the top of my list. So convenient to use and easy to program. Mobile App included to trigger gardening from your phone. Review here>> B Hive Hose Timer

Set the timer up for your vacation and no worries. The watering schedule can be as varied as you'd like (time with projected weather) or as simple and straight forward. I prefer the later and since the weather is so incredibly variable here, I check weather first, then program the timer or trigger it manually.

4. Solar Light

Loving this solar light! I purchased it a few years back and the lights have worked flawlessly all year round. A combination garden and security light that has not disappointed. In the warmer months I have a few nestled in the garden to light a path and in the winter the lights are moved and used as security lights. Review here >> Aootek Solar Light

5. Blue Shoes Disposable

Soggy yard, but need access in spring or during rainy season. These little booties are great to save your shoes or gardening shoes in inclimate weather. Review here >> Blue Shoe Guys 

The shoes are also great to have on hand for contractors visiting your home. While many will bring their own disposable booties it is always nice to have spares on hand for when they may forget - especially in winter or spring.

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2022 In the Garden ~ A Review

2022 In the Garden will be a time of renewal, rebirth and refreshment of the earth and you! If you ask any gardener they will certainly tell you that time spent in the garden is Time Well Spent.

Whether you choose to garden for beauty or for bounty, one thing is sure, you should start with the best seeds that are available.  I like ordering my seeds from West Coast Seeds.  They supply seeds that are NOT TREATED!  This means that there are no chemicals added to your seed supply,  making it a much healthier choice. They have a wonderful website (https://www.westcoastseeds.com) that is full of fantastic articles to help you become a great ambassador of your part of the earth.  

I have been gardening with my family since the early 1960's and that is a long time ago now.  What I learned from my parents was that the earth needs us to be responsible for what happens in the ground around us.  We were composting and tilling the earth with organic matter long before it became chic to do so.  

In the years since then, much has changed in the gardening industry.  Many companies are selling you products that have been Genetically Modified (GMO). These plants are just now coming under scrutiny and producers are being forced to let you know if what you are purchasing is chemically modified.  With West Cost Seeds you don't have this problem at all.  Everything they sell is grown right and seeds are organic and Non-GMO!  This makes me very happy!  I don't want to grow anything that isn't natural or has been modified genetically.

West Coast Seeds is not only dedicated to helping people become better gardeners, they also want to educate them on what are best practices for sustainability and renewal of the ground.  Their website offers so many learning opportunities.  Articles on sunflowers, growing a garden that is bee and butterfly friendly, to squash pollination and more is all available to you.  You will even find recipes to use for all the produce you get from your gardening efforts.  This website and the company are tops in my books! 

I do hope that if you have some questions about gardening that you will take the time to check out West Coast Seeds website.  You will be amazed at the amount of information available to you!  West Coast Seeds will ship all across Canada and the USA!  

The season for gardening and growing has just begun, now is the time to order your seeds and get them started so that your bounty will be overflowing when it comes to harvest time.  

Happy Gardening to all of you!

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Reviewing Two Gardening Planner Visual Aids That Helped Me Get Started

Not counting tomatoes and squash, I have not been a successful gardener. And I would dearly love to have a productive vegetable garden. However, I am especially bad at starting my own seeds. I am also really bad at putting plants out too late in the season. Until this year!  This year I have had the help of two seed-starting guides. Today I am reviewing the Clyde's Garden Planner and my local Extension Service Garden Calendar. I haven't yet transplanted my seedlings outside but already am seeing much better results!

 

I have never had much success at starting vegetable seeds for gardens. I also have never had much success outside of growing tomatoes and squash. It always caused me to wonder - why could I grow enough tomatoes and squash to feed a small army but nothing else. Over the past couple of seasons I have learned that successful seed starting has to do with two main things; timing related to last frost and growing conditions. Here I am reviewing two things I am depending on this year with seed starting that relates to timing related to frost dates.

My Past Garden Failures - Not Understanding Frost Dates and Growing Seasons

My gardening style had historically been to buy all of the different vegetable plants I wanted, when they are available in the store, and stick them in the ground (or containers when I lived in the apartment) at the same time. Most - if not all - of those plants died.

Because I am a procrastinator, I often planted late in the spring. I now realize that it was warm enough then for the tomatoes and squash to be happy. But the cool weather plants withered away. And the plants that needed a longer growing season never had the length of time they needed to produce their vegetable.

When I did start seeds, I would start tomatoes indoors and they sprouted despite my ineptitude. If I was lucky enough (rather than skilled enough) to place them in a south-facing window, I ended up with excellent tomato plants. Otherwise, I ended up with super tall, super thin plants that died (I know now that this is called "leggy" and it's from lack of adequate light). I found that I could start squash plants outside by putting seeds in the ground by the time I got around to it (very late spring/early summer). But plants such as watermelon, cantaloupe, and pumpkin would grow vines but no vegetable. They didn't have enough time.

I have since learned that vegetable seeds need to be started in related to frost dates. Which means the "last frost date" which is the projected last day in the spring that your area could receive frost and the "first frost date" which is the projected first day in the fall when the temperatures are lowering and frost could appear. 

Last Frost Date and Counting Backward

Somewhere along the way, I learned that seed packets give directions about starting seeds. For example, my Amish Paste Tomato seed packets read "Start indoors 6-10 weeks before last frost."  That's very helpful. 

It is easy to do an internet search for your expected last frost date for that year. This year, mine is May 5th. But then it was a matter of using a calendar and counting back however many weeks for each thing I wanted to plant. I am not an organized type of person and this making lists from calendars and counting back was sheer madness for me.

Then I discovered Clyde's Garden Planner. Absolute relief. 

Clyde's Garden Planter was the best $7 I have ever spent. It is a simple sleeve of super thick card stock folder over, holding another piece of card stock that slides back and forth. You locate your average last frost date in the spring, slide the red line indicating the last frost to that date, and voila! You can easily and quickly see the recommended planting dates (and whether it is to "seed indoors" or "outdoor planting") of 21 different plants!

Easy as that!

I cannot adequately describe how helpful this one little visual tool has been.

More advanced gardeners will appreciate that at each end of the slide there is a wealth of information such as 

• how many ounces of seeds for a 10' row
• planting depth
• distance between rows
• distance between plants
• approximate produce yields per 10' row
• natural plant companions

Finally, turn the card over and you have the chart for summer and fall planting related to the first frost date expected in the fall. 

2022 Garden Calendar - WV Extension Service

The other visual aid that I was thrilled to find just a couple of weeks ago was this wonderful calendar. I received my free copy from a local family-owned nursery.

In this calendar, the pages are full of information about when to plant or harvest plants, reminders for gardening schedules (such as fertilizing, propagating, and watching for garden pests). 

As each area is very different, I will not go into more detail about this calendar. And while I knew that in the United States, we have the Extension Offices that we can contact if we have questions about things such as invasive insects. But I did not know that there was information such as this calendar available. At least at my local Extension Office.

If you are not aware of what your local Extension Office offers, it would be worth giving them a call or checking out their website. 

Related Links:

If you'd like to see a video of my Tomato and Pepper seedlings, click here. I am not an official "YouTuber". I started posting videos to show family and friends my progress on my land. Now that I've moved into my new home I have had a bit more to share and a bit more people interested in looking. 

I previously reviewed The First-Time Gardener Growing Vegetables by Jessica Sowards which has been an extremely helpful and encouraging book about gardening. 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Happy Thanksgiving from Review This Reviews

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the USA.  From the Staff of Review This Reviews we wish you a very Happy and Thankful Day.

Thanksgiving Day History

On this Thanksgiving Day, I thought I would share a few history facts for your enjoyment.  If you'd like you could use these to share or quiz family and friends as you gather for the holiday.  They could make great conversation starters too.   My reference for this information is history.com.  

• It is commonly thought that 1621 was the year of the first Thanksgiving in America.  During the fall of this year the Colonists and the Wampanoag Indians shared a feast to celebrate the harvest.
• The first Thanksgiving was not just one day but was a three-day festival.
• The most likely menu for this feast was deer, Indian corn, fowl, barley and nuts, lobster and mussels.
• This first feast did not become an annual tradition for centuries later.
• In 1789 George Washington declared a national holiday for Thanksgiving and it was celebrated that year on Thursday, November 26th.  But still it did not become an annual holiday nationwide.
• In 1827 Sarah Josephia Hale (she is an author best known for the writing the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb") started a 30-year campaign to make Thanksgiving an annual holiday.  She even published recipe cards for Turkey, Stuffing, and Pumpkin Pie.

• Finally in 1863 during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving to be held each year in November.
• 
  

Thanksgiving Traditions Today

Menu

Today the most common Thanksgiving menus include:

• Turkey
• Dressing
• Mashed Potatoes
• Cranberry Sauce
• Pumpkin Pie

After these staples that are common to most American households each family adds their own touch to the Thanksgiving feast.  In our family we add green bean casserole, hot rolls, and a sweet potato dish with a sweet topping.

Parades

Another tradition in America is the Thanksgiving Parade.  For those that don't go to a parade they may watch the big Thanksgiving Day parade from New York City on television.

Volunteering

Volunteerism is big on Thanksgiving too.  Communities collect food for the needy and serve hot meals for those less fortunate.

Pardoning a Turkey

In 1989 President Bush came up with a new quirky tradition of pardoning a turkey.  This tradition has carried on with each President since that time.  This is a fun tradition that is seen on the "news" each year.  The turkey will then be able to live out its life on a farm.

Fall Harvest

As you and your family celebrate the holiday may you take time out to remember to be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving 

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A Review of Fall Farmhouse Decor

The Farmhouse style of décor is cozy, casual and welcoming. Originally found in farmhouses, which of necessity were largely functional in the modest rural houses built by American pioneers in the 1700s and 1800s to suit the agricultural lifestyle, the style of decor has evolved into many different variations. 

 Homeowners today appreciate the farmhouse style regardless of whether they live in a rural area or a small town.

While there are many variations to the Farmhouse style, including rustic, modern, country and primitive, the style itself is appreciated for its warmth and simplicity. This style is characterized by natural textures and materials such as wood or galvanized steel.

Today we will concentrate on decorating your Farmhouse style for the Fall.  If you already have pieces that form your farmhouse interior, you can always just add temporary ones to update them for the season. 

Fall Farmhouse Décor

When you decorate your home for the Fall, you can add small touches throughout the house or simply focus only on one nook or create a small corner filled with an Autumn theme. A few examples of this Fall magic are shown here.

Wreaths

A favorite Fall Decor is a wreath for the front door, in a window, or as part of an inside Autumn decoration, perhaps as a centerpiece surrounding a candle.

Maple leaves in red & yellow, berries and vine add to this Fall atmosphere in this lovely wreath found on Amazon.  Perfect for the Autumn season and the Thanksgiving festivities.

Fall Décor Candles

Candles are always perfect for any décor.  Since wood is one of the materials inherent to a Farmhouse theme, these wood candle holders made from logs fit in perfectly. 

Available in brown, harvest and orange and adorned with natural Raffia bows, these candle holders made from reclaimed wood fit the Tea-light or votive candles.  A lovely set for a table centerpiece or a fireplace mantle decoration.

Log candle holders are handmade by Sarah & Eddie of GFTWoodcraft on Etsy, where you can find a wonderful collection of rustic wood home décor. 

Tiered Trays Decorating

Tiered trays are very popular in this day and age.  They are the perfect décor item in any room in the house and come in all sorts of designs. This Farmhouse Decor Fall Tiered Tray was created by Crystal and is available in her Etsy Shop CKDesigns.  

This collection of hand-painted, laser-cut signs will make a really cute Fall Farmhouse themed décor.

Farmhouse Porch Décor

Continue your Fall Farmhouse Decor outside on your porch or patio with this Fall Planter Bucket.  It is created by Jackie for her home décor Etsy Store called Oak Knoll Creations.

This planter bucket is made from authentic galvanized sap buckets once used to gather sap from maple trees. The lettering and designs are made from vinyl and your bucket can include a rope around the top.

A cute Fall porch décor in a Farmhouse theme which would look lovely paired with pumpkins, mums, lanterns, and cornstalks to look festive and welcoming. 

*In addition, Sylvestermouse tells us how festive fall leaves place mats and table runners can be for your Fall and Thanksgiving table décor. 

Summary

The calming colors of the autumn will give any space the warmth and coziness that you would like to feel every day.

For more Decor Reviews, check out
ReviewThisDecor.com

Fall Farmhouse Décor Review written by

Wednesday Elf 

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National Pumpkin Day Review

 

An unofficial holiday celebrated annually on October 26th.

The pumpkin is one of the main symbols of Halloween (in the U.S.) and is a central component of many fall festivals, Oktoberfests and similar celebrations.  It is also delicious when served as food in a variety of ways.  So it really shouldn't be a surprise that this orange squash has its own holiday.

Pumpkin Facts and Trivia

• The name of this squash comes from the Greek word Pepõn – a word that means “Large Melon.”   
• Pumpkins are thought to have originated in North America, as seeds were found in Mexico dating back about 9,000 years.
• Pumpkins and other forms of squash were an important food staple to the Native Americans.

Jack-o-Lanterns

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Jack-o'-lanterns carved from pumpkins are a yearly Halloween tradition brought to the United States by Irish Immigrants. Read all about the origin of the Jack-O-Lantern here.

Pumpkin Dishes

There are many ways to cook and enjoy this squash called a Pumpkin:

• Cook as a squash vegetable dish.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie - Photo & Recipe by Sylvestermouse
as seen on her Cooking for the Holidays site.

• Pumpkin Pie – a traditional Thanksgiving dinner dessert. Check out this Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Recipe by Sylvestermouse. 

Pumpkin Bread - Recipe by Sylvestermouse

• Pumpkin Bread - See a delicious recipe for Pumpkin Bread by Sylvestermouse.

• Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

• 

  Photo Compliments of Sam Monaco
  from his Sam's Place Oven Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe.

  
  Pumpkin Seeds make a great snack. Check out this easy recipe for Oven Roasted Pumpkin Seeds from Sam's Place by Sam Monaco.

Handmade Pumpkins

Pumpkin Beverage Coasters on Etsy

Crafters also like to get creative with pumpkins. This set of Pumpkin beverage coasters can be found in the Etsy Shop of Coastal Crochet Crafts. They are perfect for home décor in the season of Harvest-time, Autumn and Halloween.

Striped Crochet Pumpkin - Etsy

Angela of Colorado hand-crochets this beautiful pumpkin in an earthy peach and creamy white stripes.  It is stuffed with poly-fil, and features a birchwood stem and two faux fall leaves are secured to the pumpkin center with a dab of hot glue.

This pumpkin measures between 3” tall (4” with stem) and 15"-16” around which is approximately 4” wide.  It is featured in her Etsy Shop 209 Divine, along with a variety of other holiday items.

The Pumpkin Patch

So get ready for National Pumpkin Day by visiting a pumpkin patch near you for a selection of pumpkins to cook, decorate your home for the Fall Season or carve into Jack-O-Lanterns for Halloween. 

Tyler in the Pumpkin Patch

My favorite photo of a pumpkin patch was taken by my son of my grandson Tyler as a  toddler on his first-ever visit to a Pumpkin Patch.

*National Pumpkin Day Review written by Wednesday Elf

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Book Review: The First-Time Gardener Growing Vegetables

Perhaps you want to grow your own food but are afraid and have no clue where to begin. Or maybe you can relate to me, having had some experience and success growing literally a couple of vegetables over the decades but far more familiar with wasted time, money, and failed gardening attempts. If you would like to grow your own vegetable garden with confidence, The First Time Gardener Growing Vegetables: All the Know-How and Encouragement You need to Grow and Fall in Love with Your Brand New Food Garden by Jessica Sowards is an excellent investment.

The First Time Gardener - Growing Vegetables

With the purchase of my land, construction of my home, and dreams of having a successful vegetable garden, I am familiar with Jessica Sowards of Roots and Refuge Farm fame through her youtube channel. I spend nearly all of my indoor free time watching videos about gardening and homesteading and her channel has been one that I have learned a good deal from. Her love of gardening is contagious and she is a wealth of vegetable knowledge. When she announced that she had written a book I knew I had to buy it.  

The First Time Gardener Growing Vegetables: All the Know-How and Encouragement You need to Grow and Fall in Love with Your Brand New Food Garden 

This 176 page book is written by Jessica Sowards with photographs by Makenzie Evans Photography. It is part gardening guide, part inspirational prose, and part coffee table visual feast. This book is not an in-depth, encyclopedia of plant names, varieties, and specific growing details of each plant. It is summarized bits of encouraging information.

The Chapters include:

1. Welcome to the Classroom
2. The Foundation - What Every Gardener Needs to Succeed
3. Creating Your Garden
4. Growing with the Seasons
5. The Needs for Seed... or Not
6. Grow Something Lovely - Designing a Captivating Space
7. The Nitty-Gritty of Garden Management
8. Making the Harvest
9. Conclusion - Grow on, Gardener

The chapters are short. Brief blurbs hitting the most important parts of gardening. Including some boxes of summarized information, lists, and charts. The information is chunked into small portions that are not overwhelming for the brand new gardener and would be good prompts and reminders for gardeners with some experience. 

aka "fertilizers" - I've only recently learned about coconut coir

a list of some of the best food plants for container gardening

More About Why I Chose This Book

I currently live in a metro area apartment. I have successfully grown some tomatoes (and a small handful of tiny potatoes) on my south-facing balcony. But I haven't tried to grow a garden in the ground for some years (oh my gosh, decades! My how time flies!). With my planned move to four acres, I am dreaming of having a garden with a variety of vegetables that I will be able to eat fresh or can for later. While I am excited about my plans, I am also afraid.

I am afraid of more plant failure. Over my lifetime, I have made many attempts to grow plants: houseplants, vegetables, berries, fruit trees... and I have failed massively. I have wasted so much time, energy, and money only to end up with seedlings that die, plants purchased from a store that I kill, and a variety of plants that never grow anything edible.

I am also overwhelmed by feeling as though there is so much information to remember; when to plant, what to use for fertilizer, when to harvest, and so on. While everything is available on the internet, I want to make sure to have some good reference books in my home. I do not have reliable connectivity on top of the mountain ridge. There will be many times that I will not be able to look up things on the internet. Also, with this book it will be quicker to flip open to a list or a quick reminder.

Last year I impulsively bought a couple of zucchini and cabbage starts from a roadside stand and planted them in my flower garden. Even though I only sporadically visited my land and did not provide care for those plants, several zucchini grew and I was able to make my own zucchini bread. With a little guidance and support from Jessica's book I should be able to have even more success this coming year.

Related Links:

Make sure you check out the Review This! Gardening tab to see the other posts by our contributors. Our group includes some very talented gardeners. Click this link or the gardening tab at the top of this page and scroll down to see previous gardening posts.

To read more about my land and future homestead please visit my personal blog or take a peek at the video of my house under construction. But be advised, I am not a "youtuber". But with a peek at the videos or blog post it will be easy to see why I will do much of my gardening in containers or raised beds. And that I will need all of the guidance I can get.

I mentioned Jessica's youtube channel. If you love to watch gardening videos and/or someone who finds quiet joy in gardening, be sure to check out Roots and Refuge.

To see what others are saying about The First Time Gardener Growing Vegetables: All the Know-How and Encouragement You need to Grow and Fall in Love with Your Brand New Food Garden be sure to check out the reviews on Amazon. 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Hope for a New Year, Sunflowers Plant of the Year for 2021 A Garden Review

Everyone I know has had enough of 2020, so even though Christmas is still a day or two away, it's time to look forward! 

There seems to be many authorities on Plant of the Year for 2021 and I know we all need something to look forward to, so I'm going with the authorities at the Winnipeg Free Press!  They (and I agree with them) have dubbed 2021 the Year of the Sunflower!

There is so much about sunflowers that I just love and I'm going to fill you in on just a few of them.

1. They are easy to grow from seeds.
2. They will grow without any help from you.  No fertilizers, no need to baby them!
3. By summertime, you will have a beautiful stalk of bright yellow flowers (or some other cultivar).
4. They are beautiful cut flowers that last a long time.
5. The bees will love you!  as well as butterflies, ladybugs, dragonflies, and other insects that all feed on the nectars they produce.
6. The flowers are interesting not only for their colors (and there are many) but also for the seeds they are producing.
7. If you are into "mathematics", they love working the Fibonacci Sequencing with the seed heads as they are revealed in growth patterns in nature.
8. The seed heads are food for birds, squirrels, chipmunks, field mice and more.
9. You can bake the seeds for human consumption too!  But you can also eat them raw.
10. You can have a variety of sunflowers growing together.  They will delight you in so many ways.

So when you think of sunflowers are you just thinking of the big yellow multi petalled flower?  There are so many more varieties of sunflowers than the traditional yellow.  

Sunflower "Elf" is probably the shortest growing at stems of 16 inches or so in height.  Then there is one called Sunforest Mix which can grow up to 10 feet tall.  The seed heads can measure almost 12 inches across!  As it's name implies, if you plant a bunch of these you will have a "Sunflower Forest" growing.  What could be more beautiful?  The bees, birds and small wildlife will thank you!

Did you know that Sunflowers are also yellow with orange centers, or white?  Some varieties have just a few layers of petals around the seed head, while others are so full of petals that they look fuzzy!  

One thing that they all have in common is that they will surely bring a smile to your face!

Ripening Seed heads! Just one sunflower can produce hundreds of seeds.  That will feed a lot of birds!

            This bird can hardly wait for the seeds to ripen on this seed head and he's helping himself to a delicious snack!

Seed heads are easy to harvest.  Just grab a sharp knife (be careful) and cut the seed head off.  You don't need to remove the seeds from the rest of the flower head, unless you want to.  Turn the heads upside down and suspend them with some string and the birds will come for them.  If you have lots of seed heads, you might want to ration them out a head at a time, so that as winter sets in you still have some heads for the birds.  Sunflower seeds are a great source of food for the birds in the winter months.  They are loaded with oils that birds need for energy during the coldest months of the year.  

If you want to get an idea about how many colors and sizes of Sunflowers there are, here is a link to HGTV's 13 Crazy and Colorful Sunflowers!  

I think I would love to have a few acres that I could plant with sunflowers of all types, can you just imagine the riot of color that would be seen? 

As we lead up to Christmas, I won't fill your minds with too much more than beautiful pictures of the Sunflowers that hopefully will grace your gardens in 2021.  In the language of flowers, sunflowers mean Adoration, Loyalty, and Longevity!  We( all the writers) at Review This Reviews, adore our fans and readers.  We will loyally bring you a variety of reviews that you will enjoy and we want to be with you and have you visit us often.   A very fitting flower for us, for this time of year and the year to come.  

Decorate your life with a little sunshine that lasts and lasts.  Sunflowers are just one of the cheeriest flowers and so charming in their own way!

I can't think of a flower that would make me smile bigger and longer than the sight of a bright yellow or red sunflower!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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