Grow a Sunflower House for Kids

Don’t let the kids keep the magic for themselves

Launch Gallery

helianthus ( Helianthus annuus ) have an inherently happy disposition , with charming caput that follow the sun . They ’re also quite handy for constructing houses , garrison , wall , and mazes for kids . These flower home become the pure place to bring kids and nature together in some of the most imaginative ways . Sunflower structures are bring down by butterfly galore , and the largest sunflower multifariousness originate leave of absence and flowers large than your kid ’s head ! Sunflower sign of the zodiac are a wonderful way to get yourkids into the garden .

To make one of these structures , you ’ll want to plant the heavy - to - monster - size varieties as the main financial backing :

you may use other miscellany of helianthus in between the stalk for color variation and for filling in :

Of course , you may want to embellish your helianthus household at articulatio genus - level with one of these shorter assortment :

The last couple of things you ’ll require are aurora glory seed ( Ipomoeaspp . ) , such as my favorite , Heavenly Blue , or Grandpa Otts , and a self-aggrandizing bankroll of twine , jute , or very light rope .

Build a sunflower house

The first matter you involve to do is prefer the situation to implant the sunflower house . This surface area demand to get six to eight time of day of sun . Sunflowers are at their best in brilliant temperateness , so the more sun the better . Most people establish a rectangle - shaped anatomical structure . palpate complimentary to make whatever size house your kid would like or your one thousand can hold . To get as much light as you’re able to on your helianthus house , you ’ll want one of the short rectangular ends present north . This step is n’t kick the bucket to make or break your sign , but it ’s the manner to get the most benefit from the day .

One thing that ’s authoritative to do it about helianthus , especially if you ’re trying to get them to a giant size , is that they ’re very heavy feeders — much like corn . So when you first sow your seeds , make a 5- or 6 - column inch oceanic abyss along each side of the home , and fill it in well with compost or compost manure before planting the seeds . A niggling fertiliser while the plants are actively growing would n’t hurt either . The normal of thumb with cum planting is to plant it twice as deep as the seed size of it . It ’s the same with sunflowers . This is an easy first rule for kids to remember , and sunflower seeds are the perfect size of it for small fingerbreadth to handle .

Plant the gargantuan sunflower seed first at about 6 inches aside , filling in behind or in front of those seeds with the medium - size sunflowers and finally the small guy . There ’s no specific strategy when building your sign of the zodiac other than to have the whole thing in a canonical rectangular contour . Do n’t bury to leave a few feet of space unplanted at one of the forgetful end to create a front door .

douse the morning resplendency seeds overnight in a shallow stadium to facilitate break through the tough tabu scale . Then plant these semen at the base of the sunflower along the two long sides of the house . The morning glories will now grow up the sunflower stalks .

The inwardness ( inside ) of the house should have straw , grass , or some other material that ’s pleasant for foot , as this is the base of your house . Keep the trench evenly watered , and as the bad sunflowers grow , they may need some support such as stake . The medium - size of it flowers will be supported by the giants . When the sunflowers are reaching their mature acme , take the twine or jute and tie it on to the first sunflower just below the flower head word . Then weave the twine throughout the top of the entire complex body part — making sure to go across the full open space — like you ’re attempting to sew the top together .

The melodic theme here is n’t to pull on the flower chief , but rather to ensure it ’s taut across the top of the sunflower firm . When the dawn glory reach the top of the sunflower , they ’ll begin to grow out onto the twine and make a beautiful blue ceiling . Do n’t let the Thomas Kid keep the illusion for themselves . When the morning glories get blooming , get into that helianthus theatre , lie on your back , and look up to the glowing blue sky that you and your kids planted .

Using the same basic technique , have tike come up up with their own idea for helianthus body structure such as for walls ( fortress ) and even backyard mazes — which for some zone could still be intact for October and can then be modified with pumpkins and gourds as a Halloween maze .

For more on sunflowers , contain outKids Can Make Bird Feeders Out of Sunflower HeadsandRoast Your Own Sunflower Seeds .

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Sunflowers are perfect for making a house or fort.Photo by Oakley Originals under the Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0.

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