Today, regular GPOD contributor Cherry Ong from British Columbia, Canada, is sharing photos from a trip she took recently.
Thought your readers would enjoy some photos from my visit to the Chilliwack Sunflower Festival. It’s quite an amazing feeling to be surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of sunflowers (Helianthus annuus, annual), dahlias (Dahlia × variabilis, Zones 8–10 or as a tender bulb), and gladiolas (Gladiolus hybrids, Zones 8–10 or as tender bulbs)—much like you’re being hugged by a good friend!
For those who are curious about the varieties of sunflowers that they grow, these are some of the labeled names found in the field: Orange Hobbit, Little Becka, Sundance Kid, Double Dandy, Autumn Beauty, Lemon Queen, Lemon Eclair, Stella Gold, Orange Ruffles, Black Beauty, Ruby Eclipse, Red Wave, Velvet Queen, Moonshadow, Jade, Salt N Roast, Sunrich Orange.
This double-flowered sunflower has extra layers of frilly petals.
This bicolored sunflower looks like it might be the variety ‘Ruby Eclipse’.
This sunflower has unusual, narrow petals; it looks like the variety ‘Stella Gold’.
A wide view of the sunflower fields shows off all the different sizes and colors of blooms.
Just amazing—flowers as far as you can see!
There are incredible dark blooms on this one, which is perhaps the variety ‘Black Beauty’. Extra beauty comes from the stems and leaf veins, which have a bit of a dark color as well.
There was also a sizeable dahlia border! The brochure says the festival grows 60 varieties of dahlias. These are the varieties listed along the patch: Alfred Grill, Andrew Charles, Barabosa, Cafe au Lait, Ferncliff Inspiration, Happy Halloween, Jaxon, Karma Gold, Penhill Dark Monarch, Purple Flame, Purple Taiheijo, Tricolor.
A look down the long plantings of dahlias.
This perfect dahlia bloom looks like the variety ‘Alfred Grill’.
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
If you want to send photos in separate emails to the GPOD email box that is just fine.
Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!
You don’t have to be a professional garden photographer – check out our garden photography tips!
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.