A solid choice for this challenge and lovely bokeh to support your subject. I like that a third stalk is just visible in the background. The focus on the two subjects may be just ever so slightly off which may have generated the "sharpening" comments.
Beautiful blend of greens, yellows, and browns. Like the others said, a bit more sharpening would help the strands stand out from the rest of the background. I do like the composition and bokeh.