“Turn your face to the sun, and shadows follow behind you.” – Maori Proverb
It’s that time of year when you gaze up at the sunny blue sky, inhale the remnants of summer wafting through the autumn air and seek out the best places to get your sunflower fix before the season is over.
One of the most recognizable flowers, my Instagram feed can’t deny the sunflower love. As a “six-footer” I share one of the sunflower’s most recognizable traits…the ability to grow over 6 feet tall. But I think all of us have golden sunflowers inside of us.
The end of summer and the beginning of fall, I celebrated my first sunflower season with an instant “happy boost” at Von Thun Farms’ pretty field of blooms. This is the year where the whole world could use a little extra boost of happiness, so I said “why not…let’s lose ourselves in the rows and rows of bright sunflowers”?! Von Thun Farms not only encourages you to pick blooms to take home and style in beautiful arrangements, but offers the perfect picnic backdrop.
Known for its large brown center and deep golden petals, it was during the 16th century that Spanish conquistadors discovered the golden-faced flower that was being cultivated by the Aztecs as a valuable food source. Priestesses in temples dedicated to the sun gods wore headdresses of sunflowers in their hair.
Indigenous to North America, sunflowers have become world travelers in the years that followed. While there are over 5 million acres in the US planted with sunflowers; the Ukraine, Russia, Argentina and China are the top sunflower growing countries. There are seasonal festivals all over the world that are dedicated to celebrating the vibrancy of this show stopping flower that lives long and grows fast, but the quotes below enable their beauty to live in hearts all year long.
FUN SUNFLOWER QUOTES FOR ANY SEASON:
“I want to be like a sunflower so that even on the darkest days I will stand tall and find the sunlight.” – Unknown
“If roses tried to be sunflowers, they would lose their beauty; and if sunflowers tried to be roses, they would lose their strength.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo
“We’re all golden sunflowers inside.” – Unknown
“A sunflower field is like a sky with a thousand suns.” – Corina Abdulahm-Negura
“Bring me then the plant that points to those bright Lucidites swirling up from the earth, and life itself exhaling that central breath! Bring me the sunflower crazed with the love of light.” – Eugenio Montale
