Seeds

I didn't give a lot of thought to the type or brand of seed to buy - the only requirement was that the seeds be of the "Mammoth" variety. I also saved seends from Sunny I but wasn't sure they would sprout. Ordinarily, a sunflower grows to it's height (which is determined in part, by the size of the pot/growing room it has). Thereafter, a small head appears and grows to it's size. From the moment it appears, it follows the sun - long before it is mature. The petals are folded in with the tips touching in the middle of what I call the seed head - and they open rather quickly (one to two days at the most) when the time is right. The magnificent flower follows the sun for a one to two-week period after which, when it's season is over, it lowers its head to the ground and seeds drop (or are pulled out) by birds, squirrels, etc. Sunny I made it to the flowering stage - but her life was cut short. She was decapitated by a strong gust of wind in a storm that passed through. I placed her head in a brown paper bag to let it dry out - then removed the seeds. I planted some of them this year as well as seeds that I purchased (Burpee Organic Sunflower Mammoth and Ferry Morse American Giant Hybrid). All of the Sunny I's seeds sprouted as did seeds from one of the two packets I bought (the Burpees). I later learned from a friend who is an avid gardener that if you purchase seeds that are a hybrid variety, the plant will reseed but it is unclear what the resulting plant type will be. That's fine if you don't mind buying seeds every year - but if you find a variety that you like and you want to cultivate seeds that can be sown the next year, be sure that the first bach of seeds you plant are not hybrids.