Karamea's sunflower sensation

• Author: Rose O Connor
• Published date: 25 January 2023
• Publication title: West Coast Messenger, The

"They are such a beautiful flower and they make people smile," said Jeff

Now, happily ensconced permanently on their seaside property at Kongahu Straight, Karamea, the family is into its second year of planting out an acre.

"We use to have a 'pick a sunflower' day in Nelson and we did it last year in Karamea. It was very popular and the kids loved running through them. We will do it again soon for $2 a head," Sophie said. "We will probably open it up for a week." "People love being photographed with the sunflowers. It is all a bit of fun!" she said.

"Last year, we just threw a 20kg bag of sunflower bird seed around and raked it in. Afterwards, we rotary hoed it into the ground which helps to build up mulch in our sandy soils. This year we got a local contractor to drill it which has given us a much more even spread of plants. It has also helped the sunflowers to grow a more similar...