Sunflowers!
Last summer, my family and I were heading home from some trip and we happened upon a field full of sunflowers. The sun's rays caressing the upturned faces of the blooms was a sight to behold. I suddenly understood everyone's obsession with these bright yellow bloomers!
According the website flowermeaning.com,
"The sunflower has developed unique meanings across the world as it spreads in the modern age, but many cultures share similar views of the flower thanks to its physical characteristics. Some of the most common meanings include:
Long life, mainly since most varieties stand in full bloom for months on end during the hottest days of summer.
Feelings of adoration, admiration, and platonic love towards a person, such as a family member or friend.
Loyalty and strong bonds between two people, as represented by the strong and upright stem.
Seeking out positivity and strength, as the bloom turns to face the sun.
Nourishing yourself and others, since the sunflower produces an abundance of edible seeds.
Brightening your mood, through the vibrancy of the yellow or orange petals.
Good luck and lasting happiness, especially in the Chinese culture.
This year we are concentrating on growing the Vincent's Choice and Firecracker varieties of sunflowers with a few other varieties as trials. Vincent's Choice earned a place on our farm the very first year we grew it. Their sunny faces with dark brown centers were smile inducing and they have an excellent vase life! Vincent's Choice are free of pollen and are less sensitive to day length than other varieties of sunflowers. This allows for the grower to produce blooms early, mid, and late in the season!
The Firecracker sunflowers are also pollen free and are considered a dwarf variety that boasts masses of blooms due on their branched stems. I fell in love with these blooms last season because they have a good vase life and an inherent movement to them. Firecracker sunflowers are aptly named as they encourage the eye to travel from dark centers that appear to explode with brilliant orange-red petals fading to bright gold! Last week, I talked a little about how flowers, colors, and memories can affect our mood. This particular bloom is a great example of that. The bright gold and orange-red colors induce feelings of happiness, enthusiasm and determination.
Firecracker sunflowers always make me smile because they remind me of a road trip I took with my dad. While driving along, we were singing along to Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." I was full of happiness, enthusiasm, and determination on that trip as it was one of many that we took from Ohio to Missouri before we officially moved. Now, I always catch myself smiling with that memory and humming the tune as I work them into designs. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything and I'm glad to have something to remind me of them. Do you have memories that are tied to flowers or colors?
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