"Tall" tales

As some of you may know, this year's tomato plants have become quite big. Biggest I've ever grown - not only tall but wide and lush and I have posted about them (probably ad nauseum) on the vegetable page.

But something else has been going on while I've been focusing on the tomatoes.

I posted earlier about the 8' hollyhocks that sort of just sprang up out of the arbor bed.

Well now here's a couple more things that have taken on the urge to UP. Check out these Castor Beans. Several of these are short and in bloom, but at least 5 of them are still climbing with no sign of buds yet. The trunks are at least 2" in diameter already. It's going to take a chainsaw to cut them down when frost hits these guys. LOL

And then, back in the ring garden, are my sunflowers. I planted out 8 groups of 3 seedlings all around the bed. 4 groups were labeled as 'pink' sunflowers and have grown 6-6.5 feet tall with lots and lots of mahogany-ringed blooms.

The other 4 groups were labeled 'mammoth'. 3 of the groups topped out around 7 feet.

And then there is this guy. It measures just over 10' and still growing if you count the new buds coming on top.

So my question is: What's UP this year? I sure don't know. It must be the weather. We've had almost perfect temps this summer - never getting much past 85, cooling down to low 50s at night. And while areas all around us have had trouble with too much rain, we have gotten very little here in Stark county. I wish we'd have gotten some of it. I'm getting too old to haul heavy water cans and equally heavy hoses out to the way back and beyond.

Anywho, it's been one heck of a growing season so far.

But I can't let my guard down yet. Nosiree.

The hardy hibiscus are due to bloom in a couple weeks and they're getting UP-itty too!