The flower of the week is the sunflower! Sunflowers have always been a popular flower year round from how bright they are. At the flower shop I work at, I have noticed them being bought more in the fall but if it is someone’s favorite flower, most flower shops do carry it year round!
Sunflowers can be great by themselves or added to some other flowers! Feel free to play around with some combinations the next time you are shopping for flowers. My personal favorite is sunflowers with lots of lush greenery to act as a filler flower.
Here are some care tips and information about sunflowers!
Care Tips:
- Before buying sunflowers, look at the petals. If there is any brown or bruising, choose different ones. The middle is more than likely going to be brown but that is normal!
- Have a clean vase and fresh, cool water to put them in.
- Be sure to cut the stems at an angle and add flower food to the water.
- Before you put them in the vase, be sure to remove any leaves that may be submerged in the water.
- Once they are arranged in a vase or container of your choice, put them in a cool, shaded area that isn’t getting direct sunlight. This will help them last longer.
- Change the water and give them a fresh trim every couple days to help them stay fresh for longer and to prevent bacteria from growing.
Fun Facts:
- Many people may already know this, but the seeds from a sunflower are edible!
- Sunflowers can track the sun! If you have ever been to a field of sunflowers, you may have noticed that they love to face the sun.
- Sunflowers symbolize happiness, loyalty, and vitality. They are a great flower to get someone to make their day brighter!
- When they are grown, they grow very tall! The tallest recorded sunflower reached a height of over 30 feet tall!
- Sunflowers can absorb radiation! They have been used to help clean up radioactive contamination in the soil.
- Bees love sunflowers for the rich pollen and nectar! They also benefit bees by offering protection against parasites through the consumption of the sunflower’s pollen. Because of the yellow color, they are highly visible and attractive to bees.
If you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to visit a sunflower field this spring or summer! It is amazing to see how tall sunflowers get! Some places will even let you cut your own sunflowers to take home!
Find more information about the sunflower here: https://www.britannica.com/science/pollination