All posts tagged Sunflowers

cultural practices with flowers, international flower significance culutre

The Significance of Flowers in Different Cultures

May 12, 2023

Flowers have played a significant role in cultures around the world for centuries. From religious ceremonies to weddings and funerals, flowers have been used to convey meaning and symbolize various cultural beliefs and traditions. In this article, we will explore the significance of flowers in different cultures and their meanings.

In ancient Greece, the flower that was most closely associated with the gods was the lily. According to Greek mythology, the lily was created from the breast milk of the goddess Hera. The Greeks believed that the lily symbolized purity, innocence, and rebirth. Today, the lily is still a popular flower for weddings and funerals, where it is used to symbolize new beginnings and the cycle of life and death. Mind you, there are about 100 species of lilies with over 2,000 varieties, and there are different meanings for many of them.

In China, the peony is considered to be the national flower and is a symbol of wealth, honor, and happiness. The peony has been cultivated in China for over 1,500 years and is often used in art and literature to symbolize femininity and grace. In Chinese culture, the peony is also associated with the goddess Guan Yin, who is revered for her compassion and mercy.

In Hinduism, the lotus flower is one of the most important symbols. The lotus is said to represent enlightenment and the journey to spiritual awakening. The lotus is often depicted in Hindu art and is associated with the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. In addition to its religious significance, the lotus is also used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments.

In Japan, the cherry blossom is a symbol of beauty and the impermanence of life. The cherry blossom is a popular subject in Japanese art and literature and is often used to represent the transience of life and the beauty that can be found in fleeting moments. The cherry blossom also plays a significant role in the annual Hanami festival, which celebrates the arrival of spring and the blooming of the cherry blossoms.

In Native American cultures, the sunflower is a symbol of good luck and harvest. The sunflower is often used in traditional ceremonies and is believed to bring blessings and good fortune to those who cultivate it. In addition to its cultural significance, the sunflower is also a source of food and oil for many Native American tribes.

And this is just a fraction of the incredible cultures in our world today, all of which have their own concept and meaning of flowers. Flowers have held symbolic meanings and cultural significance in many different cultures throughout history. From ancient Greece to modern-day Japan, flowers have played an important role in conveying meaning and representing cultural beliefs and traditions. Whether used in religious ceremonies, as a symbol of good fortune, or as a native plant to the indigenous lands, flowers continue to hold an important place in nearly every culture around the world.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Cherry Blossom, Flowers Generally, Fun Flower Facts, Lilies, Sunflowers
There are benefits of eating sunflower petals

How To Eat Sunflower Petals and Buds

May 17, 2019

Sunflowers are said to have originated from Peru and Mexico. In the US, the seeds were used by American Indians for more than 5,000 years for snacking. The Indians also squeezed out the oil for baking bread and used the flowers for dyeing textiles. At this time, the Indians probably had no idea about the benefits of eating sunflower petals.

Sunflowers petals contain vitamin A and C. They are also rich in niacin, riboflavin, and minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and iron.

To get the best out of sunflower, eat it at the bud stage. At this stage, it tastes like artichokes. Buds can be eaten raw in salads, roasted like coffee to make delicious drinks or steamed and served like artichokes.

Sunbuds

Ingredients
8 sunflower buds
3 tablespoon bread crumbs
2 tablespoon butter
Fresh juice from 2 medium lemons

Process: Boil water in a pot and toss in the flower buds. Boil for 2 minutes. While water is boiling, bring a second pot of water to a boil. After the buds have cooked in the first pot for 3 minutes, transfer them to the second pot. Discard the first pot of water which helps in getting rid of the bitter taste in the buds. Continue to cook buds until tender, drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a skillet, toss in the bread crumbs and stir, sautéing lightly. When you notice bread crumbs turning golden, add sunflower buds and lemon juice and toss to coat. Garnish with sunflower petals and serve immediately.

Sunflower petals, seeds, and pasta salad

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoon of sunflower petals
12 oz rigatoni
1 clove of crushed garlic
1 tablespoon of chopped hazelnuts
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1table spoon sunflower seeds
1 dessertspoon of chopped chives

Process: Boil water in a large pan, add rigatoni and continue boiling for 10 minutes. When tender, remove from heat and drain. Heat the oil in a large pan, toss the garlic and rigatoni. Stir thoroughly, remove from heat and put into a serving bowl. Allow the mixture to cool down, cover and place in the refrigerator to chill. When serving, mix the hazelnuts, sunflower petals, seeds and chives in the pasta, and stir in the mayonnaise. Decorate with a few fresh petals and serve.

Sunflower wine
To make this drink, mix 80 grams of dried sunflower petals with 1 liter of white wine. Allow the mixture to sit for 15 days while stirring occasionally.

The above are just a few recipes to prove that sunflower petals are great for your culinary needs. Whichever way you choose to eat them, just make sure you maximize on the benefits of eating sunflower petals by eating flowers you have grown organically in your garden to avoid ingesting pesticide residue.

Comments: 1 Posted by: Categories: Edible Flowers - Flowers as Food

Do You Know About These 3 Unique Sunflower Colors?

August 24, 2017

The kids are back in school and the weather is getting cooler, which has us looking forward to fall, but not wanting to be there completely until we’ve had our sunflower fill. Sunflowers, of course, can be enjoyed year round, and their warm color certainly makes them perfect to give as an autumn gift. But, we do associate sunflowers with summer and we suspect many others do too.

So, for a last hoorah for the sunflower this year, let’s talk about some absolutely spectacular colors and varietals that you may not know about.

“Shock-O-Lat” Sunflower

The “Shock-O-Lat” sunflower has a large flower head with many branches, and it features deep blooms that are a dark brown color, just like a chocolate bar (hence it’s name). Stunning yellow tips adorn the luscious petals and a gold halo encircles the center disk. This sunflower grows to be about 6 feet high.

“Earthwalker” Sunflower

A beautiful offering of gold, brown, mahogany and orange, the “Earthwalker” sunflower is rustic and magical. It comes in solid and bi-color varietals, with the blended blossoms being absolutely something to admire. When we talk about flowers that make a statement, these beauties must be on a list of blooms to consider. They grow on 6 to 9-foot plants and have multiple side branches clustered together.

“Chianti” Sunflower

Tantalizing wine-red sunflowers flecked with bits of gold. Perfection. This is the “Chianti” sunflower and it’s a stunner growing on a dramatic purple stem. Looking like nothing we’ve seen before, set atop a 4 to 5-foot plant, these sunflowers sit in bunches on branches tightly clumped together. Place these gorgeous blossoms in a vase or bouquet to make heads turn.

Until next week, enjoy looking for these sunflowers to give and looking forward to what blossom we’ll celebrate next week.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Sunflowers

Sunflower Trivia: 5 Things You May Not Know About Sunflowers

August 10, 2017

Summer, the season of sunflowers. It’s in full swing here in North America and our beloved blossoms are showing up in farmers’ markets and flower shops all over. If you love seeing and celebrating the sunflower as much as we do, you might enjoy a little sunflower trivia.

Here’s our ode to sunflowers, which hopefully will delight you with 5 fun facts about the bold and beautiful bloom.

1. Sunflowers Are Native To the Americas

Sunflowers didn’t originate in Europe, even though you may think so after seeing field after field of them in pictures of Provence and more. Native North Americans cultivated them as far back as 3000 BCE, where they were grown for food, dye, medicine and oil.

2. Royalty Brought Them to Russia

Tsar Peter the Great became fascinated by sunflowers he saw growing in the Netherlands, so he brought some back to Russia. Because the Russian Orthodox Church didn’t ban sunflower seed oil during Lent like it did other oils, the oil-producing blossom became popular to the count of roughly 2 million acres of them planted each year.

3. Bigger and Better Flowers to America?

Russians immigrating to America in the 19th century brought their highly developed sunflower seeds, which could produce bigger blooms. These flowers sparked a renewed interest in the native plant and sunflower production (including its oil) exploded.

4. Sunflowers Look Like the Sun and Need the Sun

It’s fitting that sunflowers look like the sun because they require the energy of the sun – a lot of it! Sunflowers grow best when they receive about 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day, but even more is better!

5. Sunflowers Track the Sun

If you place a sunflower bud or new blossom facing east in the morning, it will track the sun as it moves around the earth throughout the day. Try it! Heliotropism is the name of this behavior, but it comes with the exception of flowers staying facing east during times of heavier seed production.

Do you know any sunflower trivia you can share with us? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Sunflowers

Sunflower Fun Facts

February 17, 2016

It’s easy to see the beauty of the sunflower when you look at it, but some of what makes the flower special remains a mystery to many people. For instance, do you know tall a sunflower can grow or all the ways in which a sunflower can provide for a human? If you do, keep reading because we’re going to give you a more sunflower trivia that might surprise (and delight) you. If you don’t, read on as well, and find the answers to these questions, and others, as you learn about the beautiful sunflower.

The Sunflower is an Inflorence

The sunflower is a type of flower called an inflorence, which means that it’s actually two, or more, flowers in one. The sunflower, like the daisy, has central florets and an outer floret, which come together to make up a seemingly single bloom. This design helps birds and insects easily see the flower, and it assists in pollination. Every floret, when pollinated, can produce a seed.

A Guinness World Record Holder

In 2012, the tallest sunflower measured was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. The specimen grew in Germany and reached 27 feet!

The Fibonacci Sequence

The florets in the head of a sunflower form a spiral, with each small flower oriented toward the next by an angle of 137.5 degrees (called the golden angle). This orientation forms a pattern of spirals that interconnect, with the number of right and left spirals being consecutive Fibonacci numbers. Typically, a sunflower has 34 spirals in one direction and 55 in the other. If the sunflower is large, it might have 89 spirals in one direction and 144 in the other.

Yummy Sunflower Seeds

If you like to snack on sunflower seeds, you’re probably eating striped seeds. Use sunflower oil in cooking? It almost always comes from black seeds.

A Native American Staple

The sunflower is native to the Americas. Early Native American Indians used its seeds to make body paint, dye, food like oil and bread, and healing ointments.

Sunflower Seeds Make a Tasty Butter Spread

In addition to peanut and almond butter, sunflower butter tastes amazing on sandwiches, crackers, and fruit. Sunflower butter is made from sunflower seeds, and it’s especially popular in Germany where it’s mixed with rye flour to spread on bread.

The sunflower serves many useful purposes, in addition to those we’ve mentioned and looking gorgeous. It’s a popular muse for artists (Van Gogh’s Sunflowers is one of our favorite paintings) and it can be used to extract toxins like arsenic and lead from soil.

Do you grow sunflowers in your garden? Do you often keep them in your home? If so, let us know what you find special about the sunflower by leaving us a note in the comments below.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Sunflowers

Reasons to Give Flowers as a Gift

January 22, 2016

If you want to give a gift to someone, but you’re not sure what to buy, consider flowers. Flowers can be perfect gift for a person you know well or hardly at all. Flowers are beautiful, thoughtful, and cheap if you cut them from your own garden or purchase small arrangements. They’re ideal gifts for people young and old, near and far.

The following are some of the reasons you might want to choose flowers for a gift for someone, but there are many more (and actually any occasion is suitable to offer flowers).

You’re Not Sure What Your Recipient Likes

If you want to buy a gift for someone, but you’re not sure about his or her tastes and likes, opt for flowers. Maybe you have a coworker who is having a birthday or a baby? Perhaps you’re meeting your in-laws for the first time? These occasions, and others, are ideal for giving flowers. Depending on the situation, you can choose happy sunflowers, colorful carnations, elegant orchids, or a variety of other flowers.

You Want to Offer a Gift from the Heart

Whether you’re giving a gift to say “I’m sorry,” you want to confess a mistake you made, or you feel like expressing your feelings for someone with a thoughtful token of affection, flowers can be a good gift. Again, the circumstances will usually dictate what types of flowers you choose, but roses, wildflowers, or Gerbera daisies are always nice selections.

Your Giftee Already Has Nearly Everything

Sometimes, it can be hard to choose a gift for someone because it seems like they already have everything. In this case, give flowers. Even if your giftee has received the same flowers before, they’ll surely appreciate having them in their home again. A new arrangement of flowers will likely be a welcomed offering, especially if they’re gorgeous tulips or stunning anemone.

These are just some of the reasons you could opt for flowers instead of another gift. There really are dozens of other scenarios that fresh flowers can fit right into.

 

Do you often give flowers as a gift? Are there varieties that you choose quite often? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Flowers Generally

Flowers for a Picnic

January 22, 2016

Planning a picnic and wondering which flowers would make a perfect centerpiece for your table or blanket? There are many blooms you can turn to, but we think the following are perfect.

The flowers listed below are ideal for creating a peaceful, romantic, or relaxing setting that’s idyllic for a picnic meal.

Daisies

Daisies are lovely flowers for a picnic because they seem to speak of the beauty of the outdoors. Daisies, either big or small ones, are carefree and just what’s needed for a wistful encounter on a leisurely day or evening. Choose Gerbera daisies in white, pink, or orange, or go for a bouquet of traditional small yellow daisies.

Sunflowers

If you want to bring tons of cheer to your outdoor picnic, opt for sunflowers. Place them in a tall vase (make sure it’s one with a solid base if you’ll be setting in on soft grass or sand) and put them in the middle of your picnic spread. Let them provide an atmosphere filled with happiness and beauty, as you enjoy a lunch or dinner with someone special.

Roses

Roses are wonderful for a picnic date. We love red roses in an arrangement if you’re picnicking with someone you have strong feelings of love for, but you can just as easily go with pink or white roses and bring whatever level of romance you’re comfortable with to your picnic encounter. Roses come in many shapes and sizes, so have fun choosing the perfect ones for your occasion.

It doesn’t matter if you’re picnicking with a true love, your kids, or a group of friends, you can bring beauty to your special time by including flower arrangements as part of your bounty. We even love the idea of making edible flowers part of a picnic by using them in salads, lemonades, and yummy baked sweets.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Flowers Generally

Flowers to Leave in Your Airbnb Rental

December 24, 2015

Do you rent out your home on Airbnb? If so, why not leave a beautiful bouquet of flowers for your next houseguest? There are several blooms that can offer a welcoming spirit and a gift of generosity for someone staying in your home. These flowers can be just what’s needed to help a traveler feel comfortable in a new place and to give them a bit of human connection in a city where they might not know anyone.

Consider choosing the following flowers for a warm and welcoming bouquet that will surely surprise, and please, your next Airbnb guests.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers can bring happiness and joy to people no matter their culture. So, whether you’re Airbnb guests are coming from somewhere local or from overseas, think about these flowers to offer a universal feeling of cheer. Imagine the faces of your guests when they enter your home and lay eyes on perky, and energetic, sunflowers?

Daisies

Daisies offer sentiments of friendship, so consider placing these flowers in your Airbnb rental to show you care about the individuals who stay with you. What a nice touch to express to someone that they’re more than just a stranger checking into an accommodation?

Wildflower Mix

A wildflower mix can be a stunning floral arrangement to leave for your Airbnb guests, whether your home is located in the countryside or in the city. Country living begs for wildflower enjoyment. Residing in the city often makes one appreciate the delicateness, and rawness, of wildflowers when everything else around is sturdy and made of steel.

In addition to these flowers for your Airbnb rental, you can leave Asiatic lilies or yellow tulips for your guests. Or, you can opt for whatever your favorite flowers are. Want to really impress your houseguests and have them spread the word about their experience with you? Ask them what their favorite flowers are and have those waiting for them when they arrive.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Flowers by Type

Flowers to Cheer You Up

December 23, 2015

Have you ever felt down, but been drawn to the beauty of flowers so much that your spirit was lifted? We have. It seems that even in the darkest of times, the delicate appearance of a flower or its sweet fragrance has been all that was needed to perk us up.

We can’t count the number of times we’ve felt blue and then walked past a rose only to be lured in for a sniff. Why? Why do flowers call to us, even when we’re dead sure we’ll never see happier times? Perhaps it’s the symbolism of the flower as something that keeps focus on the good, even when chaos surrounds it. Maybe it’s the smell of some, and the way that the fragrance notes affect our brain physically?

Flowers, no matter their environment, do seem to push forward with life energy to offer bold colors, calming aromas, and opportunities to share beauty with others. Flowers persevere, and that is a testament we can stand behind. You can chill their home to the core and they manage to renew in springtime. Burn them and they’ve already worked to burn a memory of beauty into the mind, plus their ground lies fertile for another planting.

Whenever you’re feeling like you could use a little pick-me-up in life, consider turning to the flowers. In particular, choose the following flowers. Buy them freshly cut and put them in a vase, or plant them in a garden in or around your home. Just keep them with you somewhere and look at them, or put your nose to some of them when you want an instant high.

Roses

Who doesn’t walk past a rose and bend over to enjoy the smell of it? We can’t resist. If you’re wondering which roses are the most fragrant, which means they might offer you the most fulfillment from their sweet smell, choose the Honey Perfume rose or the Fragrant Plum rose.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers can instantly put a smile on our faces. Their large face, if you will, seems to challenge us to be just as cheery. When we stare at a sunflower, we often find ourselves engaged in a battle of who can be the happiest, us or the flower.

Gerbera Daisies

Gerbera daisies are a bit like sunflowers for us. They uplift, maybe because their petals open up to the sun asking us to also stay open to life. We especially love pink and white gerbera daisies.

There are many more flowers that cheer us up, such as the common daisy and the dandelion. Common daisies have that same openness to life that we often need in trying times, plus they’re pint-sized, which shows us we need not be big and grand above all to be worthy. Why the dandelion? If you’ve ever blown its wispy, cottony seed heads into the wind and made a wish, you’ll know why.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Daisies, Roses, Sunflowers

Share Warmth and Happiness With a Gift of Sunflowers

January 27, 2010

Bright yellow sunflower Sunflowers are among the warmest and happiest of flowers; who can fail to smile when their eyes fall upon the large and vibrantly-colored heads of these bright and bold beauties? Sunflowers grow tall and strong, typically 8 to 15 feet in height (though there’s evidence of a 40 foot monster being grown in Spain in the 16th Century), with the heads ranging from 6 to 12 inches in diameter. But it’s not size alone that makes these such a gorgeous gift. Sunflowers come in colors from bright yellows, through vibrant oranges to glorious reds and bold bronzes, mirroring the colors of the sun, and bringing warmth, energy and vitality into the home.

Sunflowers are members of the genus Helianthus, from Helios, the sun god of Greek mythology, who drove the chariot of the sun across the sky from East to West every day – the very path the sunflower follows. Some say that because the sunflower turns its face to follow the sun (many variants exhibit this property, called heliotropism, in the bud stage), they symbolize faith.

Native to the Americas, sunflowers were highly prized by Native Americans (who placed a bowl of sunflower seeds on the graves of their departed) and worshiped by the Inca (who inscribed images of sunflowers in their temples, and decorated the dresses of their priestesses with golden sunflower discs.) Since 1903 the state flower of Kansas, wild sunflowers bring the Great Plains ablaze in the late summer as they explode into bloom along roadsides, in fields and hedgerows everywhere.

The sunflower is the traditional choice for the third wedding anniversary.

Vibrant red sunflower Big, bold and brassy, sunflowers brighten us up, nourish our soul and sustain our bodies with oils and seeds. Give a gift of sunflowers and as well as giving sunny thoughts of warmth and energy, you’re sending the recipient a message of adoration, of loyalty, and a wish for longevity, of friendship and of life. Our favorite online florist offers a wide variety of sunflower arrangements, including this glorious sunflower centerpiece, for your table during the fall season, and this harvest season cornucopia.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Any Time, Sunflowers
Skip to content