Welcome to the 1000 Sunflower Project.
The BRRAlliance Garden Group decided to embark on a project of planting 1000 sunflowers in our community for the Summer of 2017. This is our idea of instant community beautification and we think it will be “Blooming Gorgeous”.
In order to achieve our goal however, we need your help. As a community group or a private citizen you can help us in three easy ways:
1. Organize your group and plant some of our sunflowers in a space you take care of. If it is city or city property please get the appropriate permissions if you need them. This could be a space near a sign or a planting bed in a park you take care of. Just contact us for the seeds.
2. Help us on one of our work days when we will be planting the sunflowers throughout our community
3. Help us distribute seeds to individuals who will be willing to plant them in a space that can be seen by the community.
We have the seeds and they are available free of charge. What we do want at the end of the day is a picture for our 1000 Sunflower Portfolio. We want to have 1000 pictures to go with all our sunflowers. Make sure you get in the picture so it has that community feel.
One of the main missions of the BRRAlliance is to improve the quality of life in our communities. This is one small way we can bring some brightness and joy to our communities. Come and participate! It is as easy as planting one Sunflower at a time!
Time To Bring Your Sunflowers into the World!
The BRRAlliance is putting the word out that it is planting time. The over 2500 Sunflower Seeds that were given to locals are itching to grow and now is the time to given them a chance. Planting should be done with ample room from a backdrop to allow room for growth and also to be out where the rain will be plentiful. You should not plant where there is a large volume of water coming over an edge, though. Sun is imperative for good growth, and of course, watering when necessary is also important. Evelyn and Mary Ann wish everyone the best of luck and ask that you send photos (if you are able) to the BRRAlliance (evossler@brralliance.org) as the plants progress.
The Time has Come!
Our 1000 Sunflower Project is off to an amazing start. As of this weekend we have already given out over 2000 sunflower seeds. And now the time has finally come! We feel that today is the day to plant your sunflower seeds. Take a moment out of your day to plant some seeds. Do not forget to snap a picture of yourself as you plant them. Send us your picture at BRRAlliance@outlook.com.
If you have not received any seeds and are interested in joining this project. You can reach out to us on this Facebook page, contact us at BRRAlliance@Outlook.com, or stop by the Black Rock Historical Society Museum on Fridays between 10-4 and Saturdays between 11-3.
We would like to thank everyone that is involved in helping us make our neighborhood #BloomingGorgeous
1000 Sunflower Seeds are Now Available
We are so looking forward to our #BloomingGorgeous 1000 SUNFLOWERS project. Come to the Roll-Out of the seed distribution at the Rediscover Riverside Meeting on Weds. 4/19 at 6 PM. Meeting is at St. Mark’s Parish Hall – 256 Riverside off Ontario. There will also be updates on Riverside Park improvements, items of interest from our Councilman Joe Golombek, our Buffalo C.P.Officer, and others.
If you can not make it to the Rediscover Riverside Meeting on Weds. 4/19 you can stop by the Black Rock Historical Society Museum during operation hours (Fridays 10-4, Saturdays 11-3) starting 4/21 to pick up seeds as well.
Participating in the 1000 Sunflower Project means:
1. You are a community organization with green space that is visual accessible to the public or take care of such space.
2. Organizations can get up to 30 seeds.
3. Individuals who are interested in planting sunflowers that can be seen by the community on their property can receive up to 10 seeds.
4. Willingness to allow us to feature images of the sunflowers once they bloom for our website and additional promotional material.
How to plant sunflowers
For the best results Plant sunflowers in full sun
Design Suggestions:
Be careful when growing the taller varieties because they can easily shade other plants. Tall sunflowers work best as a screen or in the back of a border. Shorter dwarf varieties can more be easily worked into a garden border. If you are growing sunflowers for cutting, choose a multi-branched variety to get the most blooms. Whichever variety you choose, plant in clusters of at least 9 plants, for the best impact.
Sunflower Growing Tips:
Sunflowers are usually grown from seed. Seed can be direct seeded in the garden, once all danger of frost is past, or they can be started indoors 3-4 weeks before transplanting. Peat or paper pots are recommended for seedlings started indoors. Sunflowers don’t like to have their roots disturbed. Transplants often grow faster and flower sooner than direct seeded plants, so you could lengthen your bloom period by doing both.
Sunflowers like a well-drained soil with a good amount of organic matter. They are extremely fast growers and appreciate a fertilizer high in phosphorous and potassium, (the middle and end numbers on the fertilizer package), to remind them they’re supposed to set flowers on those tall stalks.
Maintenance:
Watering regularly will help them set flowers. They will stop blooming during periods of drought. Sunflowers do not like to compete with weeds. Mulching will help with both soil moisture and weed suppression. And don’t forget that sunflowers need a lot of sun.
Most sunflowers get top heavy when they bloom and can use the support of staking. Planting sunflowers along a fence is the easiest way to stake them. Bamboo stakes are also strong enough to keep the upright. Use care when inserting the stakes, so you don’t damage the sunflower roots.
Pests & Problems:
Birds & Squirrels – Use frightening devices or cover the heads with netting And if you’re worried about squirrels or other animals getting the seeds before you, try growing them in the vegetable garden. Flowers in the vegetable garden are great for attracting more pollinators. To further foil squirrels, plant a coarse leaved vegetable, like squash, at their base.
Thank you to our friends at the www.Spruce.com for this great information about growing sunflowers
10 Sunflower Breeds Available
1000 Sunflower Project
You will hear more about a very special way to beautify our corner of the City with the “1000 Sunflowers” project. Working in conjunction with our local Tour of Gardens head, Sharon Adler, our 4 neighborhood gardens, churches and other organizations, we hope to see sunflowers adorn every street in one way or another. A meeting will be held to fill you in on how you or your organization can get involved. We are going to be #bloominggorgeous this summer.
