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Win this 5×7 Sunflower Print and a Packet of Sunflower seeds to grow in your garden this spring! Details at the end of the post.
Last night I sat on the floor with the 2015 seed catalogs spread out like a semi-gloss floral carpet. When choosing seeds, I’m a practical person. Vegetables and herbs are first and foremost. They win out over flowers when it comes to space in the garden and in the budget for seed purchases. But there is one flower that I always factor in. That being, the Lemon Queen Sunflower.
Sunflowers are quintessential to the farmyard landscape. They’re cheerful old souls with human like qualities and a bonny disposition. I can’t imagine our garden without them. But besides being beautiful to look at, sunflowers are a beneficial plant that helps pollinators of all kinds.
The reason I’m growing Lemon Queen Sunflowers this year is because I plan on participating in the Great Sunflower Project and Backyard Bee Count.
What is the Great Sunflower Project/ Backyard Bee Count?
The Great Sunflower Project is an organization that collects data from people like you me from around the country. They use this data to learn where bee populations are growing and where they are declining. This helps determine where conservation action is required. All you need to participate is a plant that attracts pollinators (like Lemon Queen Sunflower), a bit of time to count the bees that visit and a pad of paper to record your findings. Then visit the Backyard Bee Count website to record your data.
Check out this video from The Great Backyard Bee Count to learn more.
Before we were able to get bees, I participated in the Great Sunflower Project. For those of you who are anxious to start bee keeping but can’t for practical-life reasons, this project gives you a connection to bees even if it’s not with a veil and smoker. And I love that! If you have room for a garden pot and a sunflower, you can help bees!
Why the Lemon Queen Sunflower?
All sunflowers are beneficial to bees but the Lemon Queen is an especially good choice for those of you who want to help bees. The Lemon Queen Sunflower produces several flower heads off a single stem, which gives the bees more opportunities per plant. Lemon Queen does very well in container gardens. It can be planted in a pot and grown on a patio. So even if you have an apartment, you can grow Lemon Queen! It provides nectar and pollen as all sunflowers do, but Lemon Queen produces more pollen which is beneficial to larvae who feed on the yellow stuff.
So what can you do right now?
1. Sign up for the Great Sunflower Project/Backyard Bee Count
2. Order your Sunflower seeds and participate in the giveaway below. Look up when you can start your flowers indoors in your area so they get a head start this spring. (Planting indoors always help me get through the last stretches of winter.)
3. Start researching bee species in your area. Learn to discern them from wasp species. Pick up a field guide or download and study the Backyard Bee Count free Bee Identification Cards. It’s not required for the backyard bee count to know your bee species, but it’s a fun and educational activity.
4. Spread the news about the Backyard Bee Count. Do you have a Facebook Page or Home and Garden Website? Mention Keeping Backyard Bees and the Great Sunflower Project!
5. Donate
The Giveaway is Now Over
There’s lots we can do to spread awareness about bees. To motivate you, I’ve set up a giveaway that will hopefully promote sharing and learning. To enter, share this post on your Facebook Page and leave a comment below that says “shared”. You’ll be entered to win this Sunflower Print in watercolor pencils by me Jennifer Sartell of Iron Oak Farm and a packet of Lemon Queen Sunflower Seeds! The winner will be announced on the Keeping Backyard Bees Facebook Page on February 21st so be sure to check for your name. If the prize isn’t claimed by February 25th, a new winner will be selected.
You can also visit our sister site Community Chickens where I discuss how growing sunflowers can help your backyard chickens as well! Help Pollinators and Your Chickens with Sunflowers!
Happy planting, watching and recording!
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I shared and am participating come spring
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Shared! Via Facebook and by word of mouth. 🙂
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SHARED! GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT THE LEMON QUEENS! AWESOME
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SHARED! We’ll have tones of suflowers on the farm this year!
Shared! The bees win , we win, and don’t forget the birds they win too! I do love sunflowers!
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Shared! What a nice giveaway, can never have too many sunflowers or bees!
Shared. My own bees would love these sunflowers!
SHARED!! Good on ya!
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Shared on my page Our Funny Farm…:)
shared! And a newbee to boot!
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Shared! It’s a lovely print!
Shared! I would LOVE to win these seeds so I can plant some sunflowers this year!!
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Shared and thank you! My bees and birds thank you too!
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Shared — and the Lemon Queens were already in my planting plans!
Shared! We have several varieties started already. 🙂
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I want that gorgeous print
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good luck to all.
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sunflowers for everyone! awesome work
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Shared! Plus I passed along this information to the local beekeeping association.
Shared! We love growing sunflowers 🙂
I just love the bees, and these sunflowers are fantastic!
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Shared! I have several varieties ready to plant would love to have another.
I definitely want to help our little buzzing sisters.
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Shared! Thanks for the info and opportunity…
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Shared on Facebook. Loved the sunflowers
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Shared on facebook. Planting sunflowers is such a simple thing to help the bees! Wouldn’t it be great if everybody did it? 🙂
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Shared! I do have a question though. I have a known population of “Circada Killers’ in my yard. Will they hurt honey bees?
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shared!! Can’t wait to start counting!!
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shared! Great activity for the kids too.
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Shared with a wonderful group of homeschoolers!
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I love this. I will be planting sunflowers in my Garden this year at my Tiny Pallet Cabin. check it out at http://www.facebook.com/thepalletcabin
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Great Homeschool project! Shared!
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shared Beautiful Work Thanks for sharign
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I’m looking forward to getting started.
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Shared it! Plan to grow gorgeous sunflowers at our little house and support the bees this summer!
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What an awesome idea! Shared!
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shared…they’d be great for our home school bird and bug study!
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Shared on my Pickle Creek Ranch facebook page. Will also add a link in my website. We need to do all we can for bees!
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I love all sunflowers! I shared!
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SAVE OUR BEES! Shared for sure!
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Shared! Let’s keep on eye on the bees, and help them out as much as possible!
Shared !! Thanks for what you’re doing 😉
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SHARED! And look forward to participating either way!
Happy growing!
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Shared! I loved learning that i could plant sunflowers in pots if needed!
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Shared, shared and shared!!! I’ve been wanting to get active in saving the bees for some time…I’m so excited about this project….I would love to learn more about beekeeping also!!! ~Dez~A~Ray~of~Sunshine~
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Shared on Facebook and also with my second grade students in a note to their parents!
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Shared! And signed up to count the bees!
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I love this and will share over and over! Thank you!
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Shared. Thanks for doing this for the bees, thus us, as well.
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i haven’t had much luck growing sunflowers. Any suggestions for growing in NC red clay? I love honey and want to support reviving the bee population.
Shared!!! Helping the bees !
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Another benefit of the sunflower according to my 2015 almanac is it will help clean up toxic soils.
I am contemplating starting a bee keeping project.
Good morning, Tony and I are new to Bee keeping! I Leilani was wondering about drying our poly pore mushrooms and using them to smoke the bee’s any thought on the safety of this or the possibility of it being harmful to the BEE’s. Thank you for your time. We enjoying reading your information in the morning over coffee.
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I have many kinds of Sunflowers in 3 different Garden Plots. @ in RI, & 1 In MA. I have seen countless bees at all of them, as they are all Organic Community Gardens & are Full to capacity! I am unsure as to where to go to do the bee counting-could you direct me please?
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we can give the seeds to a number of play schools in our town.to promote and educate the young . alan chair maesteg community garden projects. what do you think
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If this Giveaway is Long Gone – please remove from website.
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Shared, gonna grow lots of sunflowers in the spring!
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Great ideas are shared by great people!
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I’m just wondering & want to get into Bee keeping. I want to learn all I need to know before investing a lot of money & or time.
Love the bees – let’s keep them alive & well
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no bees no plants people need too start thinking ,shared
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Love the pictures. Any lemon sunflower seeds left for giveaway?
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Love sunflowers/ and have bees…..
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I don’t do Facebook sorry.
shared! I am starting a new farm and don’t have time to put in my pollinator gardens this coming year but I do have time to plant sunfowers! Thank you for your article.
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Looking forward to the snowmelt wso I can plant sunflowers in my garden and bee watching.
Shared and we are looking forward to participating in the project.
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Thanks for the information looking forward to having my Backyard Bees!!
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I posted this to my Facebook page.
Shared! ! Love sunflowers and the bees. Just saw a huge bumble bee this morning. (I live in Florida )
Shared on Heart of Georgia Beekeepers Facebook group.
Joined!
This is awesome. I’m buying my Sunflower seeds now. I’ve always grown them, now I’ll grow more. I keep bees, I’m glad others will help all the pollenaters.
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This is awesome. I’m buying my Sunflower seeds now. I’ve always grown them, now I’ll grow more. I keep bees, I’m glad others will help all the pollenaters.
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Received email today regarding contest. Tried to share but nothing happens…..maybe because the date on the website is February 11, 2015 and the contest is long over.
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Another plant that is popular with pollinators is the sunchoke / Jerusalem Artichoke. It is best planted in a container because it can be invasive (that’s really good for the bees), but the tubers are like small potatoes and contain a chemical called inulin which makes them a great choice for diabetics. One plant in one seasin can produce up to 25 lbs of tubers. The flowers are like small sunflowers and there can be a dozen or more. I plant them because of my bees, I harvest the stems with leaves before the first frost to feed my goats, the chickens eat the flowers and seeds, and the tubers are edible for me, and ALL of my animals (chickens love them, especially when chopped up). The tubers can stay in the ground until you need to dig them. Best of all, they are a native of the eastern US.
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Shared! I grew Lemon Queen sunflowers for the first time last year and i knew i was hooked! I enjoyed watching the bees on them as the flowers swayed in the wind 🙂
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I shared this article to Facebook.
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This is fascinating and I would love to participate.
I am sharing this on FB. I think this is a fascinating thing to participate in.
Great project! Let’s get everyone we can to participate. Posted to my FB page and will spread the news other ways as well.
I am the owner of a greenhouse- Plant-It Earth Greenhouse, that grows all plants without the use of chemicals. First because I care about the environment and because I am a beekeeper! This is an exciting project that I will be participating in.
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I could not figure out how to order the lemon queen sunflower seeds from the source mentioned in article; can you send me link for ordering please?
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All info here on the Great Sunflower Project dates back to 2015. Cannot find any current 2016 or 2017 info. Is it still an active project? Updated info would be more encouraging & helpful.
Thank you.
Beekeeper, Gardener, Chicken Crazy, Rescued Great Pyrenees Lover. DT
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It’s January & our backyard sunflowers just are blooming. Happy bees!
You can have bees and chickens at the same time !!! Who knew ? These Sunflowers are beneficial to both, but don’t need to be grown in the ground, they can be grown in pots ! Even for apartment dwellers, like me !
Hello,
My grandson is home schooled and this is going to be his new science project. He wants to start a bee keeping business so this will be great for him!
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shared…and thank you for the chance…looking forward to growing sunflowers for my new beehive and my chickens!
Where to buy lemon queen sunflower seeds?
I have some mason bees I am Plant all I can for the bees, And butterflies
Hi, we’d like to look at planting a field of sunflowers to help support our bee colonies/ apiary here. Could you contact me with more information on large scale / field planting ?
We bought bottles of your honey and cannot get the wooden lids off. Got any suggestions on removing your honey, wooden lids. Sitting them in hot water, using a wrench has not worked.
I have initiated a bee program at the middle school I teach at. I would love to add some Lemon Queen Sunflowers out where the hives are at to provide another food source for our bees. Thank you for your consideration.
Get the news letter! But didn’t know this about the sunflowers, how interesting! We have several hives of bees and I will be planting this sunflower soon. Love the idea of starting my outdoor garden early indoors and it does get me through the winter blues.
i love to get involved but i live in western australia so would like data from here i have 2 hives and alway plant sunflower seed around the hives
good job