I love the sun.  And I love flowers.   So what better plant for me to tackle growing than a sunflower?  Oh, and I also love sunflower seeds.   It seemed like a no brainer.
That is until I got to the actual planting.
Then I realized how unprepared I was.    

What was I thinking?   Just because I love the components, meant squat.  I mean, I love apples.  And I like to hit the "sauce" almost on a nightly basis, but that certainly doesn't qualify me to make applesauce.

But once I started there was no turning back.

I filled a small planter with fresh rich, soil, dropped in the seeds, added water and set it on my patio table in direct sunlight.

Well, I got one thing right.  The direct sun.  Within a few weeks, up came this one lone stalk.  And it kept on growing, rather rapidly.  Soon, I realized it was never going to thrive in such a tiny pot.  So, I repotted it into a larger one.

And it kept on growing.  Up, up, up until it towered over the fence.

My excitement parallel that of Jack when he discovered the beanstalk.  Especially when three buds appeared and I realized I really was going to have sunflowers.

Unfortunately, the flowers reached toward the sun (as they should) which meant facing my neighbors.  I didn't even get to enjoy them.  And then all too soon, they drooped over, reminding me of weary old men.

That's when I decided to do some research on how to actually grow and cultivate a sunflower.  Something I should have done from the start.

My first mistake was planting the seeds in a pot and not into the ground.  The roots grew fast and quickly became confined.  They soon struggled to survive.  Much like a teenager coming into her own.  They became defiant, turning their backs on me.

Secondly, I didn't feed it anything.  No fertilizer.  No fish emulsion.  How could it be expected to live on water alone?  I even tossed in a little vodka to perk them up.   That only made the stalk droop even more.

And although I did treat it as a member of the family, there were a few days there where I did forget to tell it "good morning."  All the articles say that plants need as much attention as a husband, if not more.

But I'm not going to give up.  Next year, I'll be first in line at the seed store.  Why, I may even try my hand at growing azaleas, or gardenias.  Or maybe lavender.  Who doesn't love a long, soak in a hot tub flavored with lavender oil?

I just have to remember one thing.  Polishing my thumbnails green, does not a Green Thumb make.