Week 12

Afternoon folks,
Some incredible developments this week. Looks like we have our first flower....! Like Fuscia from the flames, George and Karen's previously-deceased sunflower has risen from the (potash)es and brightened up the social room with a pretty pink and yellow number.


Believed to be the first of its kind on the planet, a number of members of department have already made approaches to secure the specimen for research purposes (obviously pending confirmation of the flower's true germinal origin).

However, in the meantime it is just these sort of regenerative, reincarnationist properties that are sparking interest this week. Survival is the name of the game and brute upward growth is just one of many ways to stay ahead....

Given that the sunflower challenge has so far focussed mainly on height, this week takes a more holistic look at what could make the 'sunniest sunflower.' We talking about the Bruce Lee of sunflowers here - one that fuses a whole range of qualities, growth and defence strategies, real-world resilience, aesthetic value, and the sunflower's capacity for wider social benefit. The department is a complex ecosystem after all.

Tall plants, for example, are less likely to be fully-appreciated by admirers on a coffee break if their sunflower heads are squashed against the ceiling. Rob&Iain and Eilidh&Louis have shot to a very impressive 2500mm+, but what use is this if the sunflower itself is out of view? Shorter plants (such as the more modest stems of Rob, Justyna, Shaun and Willie, Donald, Gemma&Adam) are now jostling for position in the lower canopy to spread the sunshine effectively when the flowers eventually bloom.

Not only are the smaller, more compact plants well-placed to spread the love, but they are more likely to survive the real-world test. Take those supportive garden canes away and stick them outside in a force 9 gale, and it would be interesting to see which ones are still standing.....
Florence & Roger have produced a fine and sturdy trunk for this purpose, and Justyna's plant seems to be standing proud at 1320mm with minimal help from a small cane.

And what looked to be a retrograde move by Zara's sunflower is now proving to be a clever growth strategy, the stem forming a clear 'u-bend' enabling it to soak up the rays unobstructed by other plants....



Although George and Karen seem to have reared the first flower, there is still keen interest in how flowering will affect the plants' overall growth. Unflowered buds have now developed on the plants of Sunny, Lesely, Nick, Willie and Rob. How this will affect their prospects is unclear. Some plants look so gangly that any extra weight at the top could see them rueing the day that they didn't adopt the Zara u-bend strategy.

Anyhow, it's clear that the sunflower field is beginning to diversify and perhaps increasingly reflect some of their carers' own qualities..... Here are the measurements this week (coloured entries reflect 'unflowered bud' status).

Adam/Gemma	1300
Amy/Lyndsey	2010
Caroline	1420
Donald	1440
Eilidh/Louis	2500
Eliza/Vic	1975
Emma/Leoni	0
Florence/Roger	2290
George/Karen	80
Iain/Rob/Liam	2570
Justyna	1320
Lesley	1500
Matt	1770
Natalie	735
Nick	1990
Rob	1510
Roman	1290
Shaun	730
Sunny	1920
Willie	1620
Zara	(84)1600