By Amanda Hill
You may have seen this sunny crop driving along Texas highways and back roads this summer. Sunflowers are bright and cheery during some of the hottest months in Texas. It is a hardy crop that survives nearly all weather conditions. Plus, sunflowers are used so many different ways—from a salty snack to a healthy oil for cooking and a beautiful arrangement for your kitchen table.
Did you know that the sunflower head is really made up of 1,000-2,000 smaller flowers? Each small flower will eventually produce a sunflower seed. The sunflower also is one of the fastest growing plants. They can grow to 8-12 feet tall in six months. What an amazing plant!
Rodney Schronk grows sunflowers—as well as cotton and grain—in Central Texas. Rodney planted his sunflower crop in late February and just finished up his harvest a few weeks ago. Check out how and why he grows these special flowers:
Thanks, Rodney, for showing us your sunflowers. What a sunny, cheerful and useful crop!
Click here to meet other Texas farmers through our Meet a Farmer video series.
I made the drive from Waco to Dallas at least once a week between January and August this year, and marveled at the beautiful sunflower fields every time I saw them. I stopped and took pictures of them to post on my Facebook page because I wanted all my friends to see that Central Texas was still producing at least one beautiful crop, in spite of the drought.
Julia, aren’t they beautiful? I make that drive a lot, too, and I just love seeing the fields of yellow during the summer. Thanks for your comment!
Is it possible to help me get in contact with this farmer? I am supposed to get married for the first and only time and would like to buy about a dozen for my wedding. Sunflowers were my brothers favorite flower and he passed away in 2003 at the age of 21. It would feel like he was with me having a few of these BEAUTIFUL flowers