On a sunny summer day, few sights are as striking as a sunflower in full bloom. In Canada, these towering flowers are a common feature in gardens, known for their grandeur and single large blossom perched atop a tall, unbranched stem.
The common sunflower, Helianthus annuus, is native to North America and typically features one prominent head per plant. In 2014, Hans-Peter Schiffer from Karst, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, set a world record with a sunflower reaching 9.17 meters (30 feet, 1 inch) in height, according to Guinness World Records.
This year, Sudbury resident Melanie Lalonde has experienced her own sunflower surprise. Since starting her sunflower garden in 2020, Lalonde has cultivated many impressive blooms in front of her apartment on Eyre Street. However, one sunflower this season stood out for its unusual appearance.
Lalonde’s garden received a special visitor this year—a sunflower with two conjoined flower heads growing from a single stalk. This phenomenon, known as “fasciation,” has intrigued both Lalonde and her neighbors.
Fascination, as explained by gardening expert Melinda Myers on the Birds & Blooms website, is an uncommon but not rare condition that affects various plants. Myers notes that fasciation leads to unusual growth patterns such as flattened stems, multiple buds, and conjoined flowers. It can result from hormonal imbalances, genetic mutations, or environmental factors.
“It’s a spontaneous growth that creates a unique and visually striking flower,” Myers explains.
Lalonde’s neighbors have taken notice of the extraordinary bloom. “People in my neighborhood really appreciate the sunflower garden each year,” Lalonde says. “This year’s unique sunflower has caught a lot of attention. One neighbor even mentioned, ‘I’ll be keeping my eye on it, I’m so intrigued.’”
Lalonde’s sunflower garden began with store-bought seeds. Each fall, she would scatter seeds and cover them with manure. Over the years, some sunflowers would reappear from previous seeds, but she continued to add new ones. This season, however, all the sunflowers grew from last year’s seeds, resulting in an exceptionally crowded garden. Lalonde had to remove over a hundred plants to give away to family and friends.
While Lalonde has grown a few unusual flowers in the past, none matched the uniqueness of this year’s standout. “It reminds me of my haywire hair with its flowing petals,” she jokes. “There are a few other flowers with a smaller sunflower growing through their centers, but nothing like this one.”
Lalonde’s sunflower garden continues to be a beloved feature of her community, showcasing the beauty and variety of these remarkable plants.