GARDEN PATH: It’s time to celebrate summer’s brightest blooms

Flower Crown: A Celebration of Summer Blooms

Welcome to this week’s Flower Wreath, where we celebrate summer’s brightest blooms: sunflowers, zinnias, shasta daisies, daylilies, spirea roses, and fleabanes. Each of these flowers add vibrant colors and textures to our gardens, making them truly spectacular.

Photo by Monika Rekola

The assortment of these summer flowers not only add vibrant colors and textures to our gardens, but also embody nature’s intricate patterns, especially the fascinating Fibonacci sequence.

A Gardener’s Guide to Nature Design

As I dig into the soil and observe the growth around me, I can’t help but marvel at how plant growth follows the Fibonacci sequence. This sequence, which is like a natural law of accumulation, reveals the hidden order behind how plants develop. It’s as if every leaf, petal, and branch is choreographed by a universal rhythm that connects sunflowers, vortexes, galaxies, and even our own DNA.

What is the Fibonacci sequence?

The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers where each number is the sum of the previous two, usually starting with 0 and 1. So the series looks like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 and so on Further. This sequence, named after the Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci, is more than just a numerical curiosity; in practical terms, it is like a blueprint for growing plants.

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The sunflower is a perfect example of Fibonacci in action. The seeds of a sunflower head are arranged in spirals that correspond to Fibonacci numbers, usually numbering 34 and 55 or 55 and 89. This pattern allows for the most efficient packing of the seeds in the flower head or the greatest contact with pollinators.

Photo by Monika Rekola

Sunflower Adventures

My recent venture to grow a field of sunflowers at the edge of my food forest was an intriguing challenge. I set out to attract and feed the local bird population with black oil sunflower seeds. The seedlings we grew in the greenhouse were robust and ready to thrive outdoors.

However, I soon discovered that the newly established bed, where I scattered additional seeds, faced its own set of trials. Despite my best efforts, the seeds fell victim to the local bunnies, who had developed a taste for the fresh offerings at the edge of the forest. If you are embarking on a similar project, I recommend building a sturdy “bunny fort” or using other protective measures to protect your sunflower seeds as they grow.

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This diagram shows how the number of pairs of rabbits over time forms the Fibonacci sequence. If you start with a pair, you’ll soon get two pairs, threes, fives, eights, 13s, and so on. Each successive number is the sum of the previous two, predicting the growth of the rabbit population and mirroring the spiraling growth of out-of-control bunnies in your garden.

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Flowers and rainfall:

Flower petals often adhere to Fibonacci numbers as well. The arrangement helps the flower to efficiently channel precipitation to the roots, providing the hydration necessary for growth.

Ferns:

As ferns unfold, their leaves follow a Fibonacci sequence, giving them that characteristic spiral shape.

Leaves and sunlight:

One of the first places I notice Fibonacci is in the arrangement of leaves around a stem, a pattern known as phyllotaxis. Each new leaf appears at a certain angle to the previous one, ensuring that no leaf overshadows another. This precise arrangement maximizes the plant’s ability to capture sunlight, a process essential for photosynthesis.

Photos by Monika Rekola

How to use Fibonacci in garden design

To incorporate Fibonacci into your garden, start by observing natural patterns in existing plants. Notice how the leaves, branches and flowers are arranged. Then try to replicate these patterns in your planting schemes.

Spiral plantations

One way to do this is through spiral plantings, which mimic the natural spiral seen in sunflower heads and pine cones. These spirals not only look stunning, but also create a natural flow that guides visitors through the garden, making the space feel more welcoming and harmonious. A garden can celebrate the beauty in the algorithms that underlie “all plants, growth and life.

Developing a gardener’s eye for Fibonacci not only deepens our appreciation for the complex beauty of nature, but also guides us in creating gardens that are both stunning and effective.

As I continue to tend my garden, I find myself amazed at the subtle nuances that Fibonacci reveals. Every leaf, every petal, every spiral is an example of the perfection of nature’s design, inviting us to look closer, to understand more deeply, and to garden more carefully.

Monika Rekola is a landscape designer and certified horticulturist with a passion for gardening and sustainable living. As a budding homemaker and garden writer, she shares her love of recycling, repurposing and bird watching. Monika is dedicated to organic gardening, aiming to balance our delicate ecosystem. Contact her at (email protected).