When it comes to these classic, yellow and bright Sunflowers – there’s way more than meets the eye. These vibrant Sunflowers are sure to make anyone smile, making them as cheery as the sun!
Did you know they literally grow towards and follow the direction of the sun, following it from sunrise to sunset? Even when it’s nighttime, they face the east to wait for the sun to rise again. Which truly teaches us that even on our darkest days, we should always stand tall and find the light.
Not only do they look like the sun, track like the sun, but they need a lot of sun to grow too. A sunflower needs at least six to eight hours direct sunlight every day to reach its maximum potential. In fact, if they’re blocked by other plants – they’ll grow taller than them just to gain even more access to sunlight. In fact, historians has also noted that Aztecs worshipped sunflowers as they believed them to be the physical incarnation of their beloved sun gods!
Another folk legend we heard about sunflowers? The old wives tale says if you sleep with a sunflower under your pillow, then you will be filled with true wisdom. The other version is that you will discover some form of truth regarding something you would like to know. Let us know if this works for you!
Sunflowers & Its Meaning
Sunflowers symbolizes unwavering faith, unconditional love and of course happiness and optimism. Their bright yellow blooms aren’t only just the colour of hope and happiness but they also lift the mood of anyone receiving them instantly. Making it a perfect, thoughtful and memorable way to surprise loved ones.
As we always say, it’s important to celebrate the everyday moments – no matter how big or small. You’ll never know who would need it most! Be someone’s sunshine with a bunch of literal sunshine! Not convinced? Here are some of our favorite sunflower facts that makes sending them to our loved ones so much sweeter.
Fun Facts About Sunflowers
Each sunflower is actually thousands of teeny flowers
The iconic yellow petals and fuzzy brown centers are actually individual flowers themselves. If you zoom into a Sunflower’s head, you’ll see that it’s actually a combination of thousands of tiny flowers called florets. A classic sunflower bloom can have as many as 2,000 florets. So with every stalk you gift, you’re actually giving 2,000 tiny little blooms too!
There are about 70 species of sunflowers
Most would only know that sunflowers are yellow, but they actually come in different hues of brown, red and purple. There is even a species which produces double blooms, giving them a fluffy and cuddle head just like a teddy – and so they’re called Teddy Bear Sunflowers.
Sunflowers have been planted to help soak up nuclear radiation
They’re not just pretty faces, they’re also actually really good at absorbing toxins too. They naturally decontaminate soil, soaking up hazardous materials such as uranium, lead and even arsenic. Millions were planted after the devastating nuclear incidents in Fukushima and Chernobyl. A beautiful and bright response to such tragic situations.
Sunflowers holds world records too
The tallest sunflower on record was over 30 feet tall, grown by Hans Peter in Germany. Guinness World Record officials even required an electric crane to measure this towering blooms! In comparison, the shortest sunflower species can only grow up to 1 feet tall. But of course, both are just as beautiful.
Sunflowers are edible from head to toe
Every single part of this bloom can be utilized! From root to leaf, sprout to stalk – sunflowers are used to make everything from sunflower tea, salads, sun butter, sunflower seeds and more. PS. Be sure to make sure your blooms aren’t exposed to toxic substances such as pesticides before you have a go at turning these beauties into kitchen-friendly treats.
These blooms can self pollinate
Bees are a major pollinator of Sunflowers, so growing these blooms goes hand in hand with flourishing the bee ecosystem with a sweet nectar and pollen playground! But if there are no bees around (or other pollinators) Sunflowers can self pollinate. It isn’t ideal for the gene pool, but the seeds in their flower heads can do this in order to self pollinate, ensuring a greater survival of their species.
A dried sunflower can be repurpose into a bird feeder
Just as how we love snacking on sunflower seeds – so do birds! We found this tutorial hereon how you can repurpose these beauties into a lovely snack for our garden friends.
