SUNFLOWERS

Sunflowers brighten our day with their beauty and graceful upturned faces.  Use of the sunflower dates back more than 3000 years to Native American peoples.  Sunflowers are native to North America and have been used for centuries for food, fiber, dyes and oils all across the globe.  

Sunflowers are easily grown from seed in the spring. Make sure the soil has plenty of compost then bury the seed about 1-2 times its size into the soil. Water regularly til sprouted then once or twice a week depending on how hot it is. The Mammoth sunflowers are truly remarkable to behold. 

It is amazing to capture a photo of a sunflower with the sun behind it. Sunflowers are heliotropic plants which mean the flowers track the sun as it moves through the sky. The sunflower genus is named Helianthus for this reason: HELIOS after the Greek Sun God and ANTHOS meaning flower.  

 

Sunflower seed is one among very few North American native plants grown for its global importance. The seed grew in popularity in the last century mainly through it's favor in Russia; it had importance to religious activities so was grown to become the 'Mammoth' sizes we see today.  

 

Birds love to eat sunflowers seeds but did you know that the Goldfinch loves the leaves even more? So do our dogs and parakeet! The leaves contain a high amount of essential vitamins and minerals essential for good health. Though they make a skeleton of the leave the plants never seem to fail.