We're thrilled to be giving you 10% OFF our handmade glass Sunflowers as part our August Flower of the Month #FOTM. Their warm glow is excellent way to keep up that Summer feeling just that little bit longer.
Botanical Information
Sunflowers originate from America they have the scientific name Helianthus and are heliotropes which means they follow the sun across the sky. They come in many varieties from little Leos to the America Giant and have been cultivated by the Native Americans as early as 3000bc. The sunflower wasn't exported to Europe until 1500 when Spanish explorers travelled to North America.
The sunflower has multiple uses as a food stuff the seeds can be eaten as a snack, the leaves can be used in salad and the stem can be cooked and eaten this is not to mention the various applications of sunflower oil in food and in herbal medicine.
In 1986 Chernobyl sunflowers were planted over a large piece of the exclusion zone by scientists, who were hoping that along with the particular nutrients that sunflowers absorb from the soil they might also extract nuclear isotopes. An experiment that proved successful.
Scientists are also interested in sunflowers as the best known natural example of the Fibonacci sequence, a mathematical spiral that often appears in nature, the seed of the sunflower follow this sequence be it clockwise or counter clockwise and have been use in school rooms the world over to typify the mathematical beauty of nature.
Sunflowers and their meaning
Throughout many time periods and countries sunflowers have symbolised many different things, often changing meaning. In ancient Greece there was a legends of a girl who fell in love with the sun god Apollo and thus always watched him in his journey through the sky, which offended Apollo where upon he transformed her into a sunflower which still follow the sun as it travels from east to west.
Van Goch the famous Dutch painter saw sunflowers as melancholic and painted a series of them in this fashion throughout his life. Due to his paintings some people feel that sunflowers have hidden depth as hopeful and happy with a tinge of sadness similar to nostalgia.
Long life, loyalty, good luck and seeing the bright side of things are all meanings that have been attached to sunflowers for their long lasting time in bloom or their heliotropism, a gift of sunflowers can mean adoration and platonic love or may you be happy and positive.
Where can I find Sunflowers in the North Wales Landscape?
The sunflower fields of Rhosili on the Gower offer stunning views of the flowers the beach and the wildlife native to Wales. You will find plenty to enjoy in the area, voted best beach in the UK in 2010.
For something less wild try Powis Castle, a truly spectacular garden for all seasons with a variety of summer flowers but which also offers tours of the castle museum which gives context to the history of the garden and the family which created it.
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Want to know more?
Checkout the links below for more information about this beautiful herb and where to it on your visit to Mid/North Wales.