Friday 30 September 2011

A SURPRISE VISITOR!



A little while ago we noticed a baby plant growing in a pot of old, used compost which stood by the back door. This door opens into the garden, and there are 8 awkward steps down into the garden, which explains why the pot of used compost was still there!

We left it alone, and it grew and grew, and soon became obvious it was a sunflower. We didn't think it would get to bloom so late in the year, but now look at it!

I grant you it is not one of those giant sunflowers, but it is very pretty. The seed must have been dropped, either by a bird or one of us, as we feed the birds with mixed seed.

Talking of strange plants, in the winter we feed the Siskins and Redpoll on Nyjer seed, and every year we have a fine crop of Nyjer plants, although they never come to anything, as it is too cold here for blooming and setting seed.

But the birds seem to have disappeared this week. I don't know where they have gone, but I imagine there is such a lot of natural food, they don't need ours. It is strange though, last week the sparrows and various sorts of tits were fighting over the peanuts, but this week - zilch!

8 comments:

CorvusCorax12 said...

what a beautiful suprise

Jee said...

Our birds have disapeared too - except for a cheeky robin who actually came in through our bedroom window yesterday!

crafty cat corner said...

I bet if you had planted it purposely it wouldn't have grown.
Its wonderful
Briony
x

Hollace said...

What fun to have a bright spot to cheer you on those stairs. My Grandma used to have a plaque hanging on her stairwell with the saying "Make the stairs up". I think it was Pennsylvanis Dutch for 'I hope you make it up the stairs'. =)

VioletSky said...

Proof that compost really works!

kenju said...

I love it when plants show up that you don't expect. At work today, someone showed me a large planter out in front of the shop, where a large red celosia had "volunteered" and was already blooming!

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

What a cheerful surprise. My best tomato plant this year was a volunteer.

Somewhere round about said...

oh that is glorious!

( liking the feather as well...)