Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Kiss the Sun

The earth paints a portrait of the sun at dawn with sunflowers in bloom. Unhappy with the portrait, she erases it and paints it again and again. - Rabindranath Tagore

The stunning Helianthus (okay, my geeky Greeky friends, let’s take it apart … Helio (sun) anthos (flowers) Tada! Sunflower! ) do seem to kiss the sun good morning every day they are in bloom.

These bold beauties can extend 120 inches (that’s 10 feet for those who ponder without wanting to commit to math) tall, and the gorgeous heads can be several inches in diameter.

While they DO follow the sun when they are young, once they start blooming, they finally face east and stay there until the flower drops off. The sun worship is called heliotropism.

The sunflower is a distinctly North American flower that does have three southern cousins that are not as bold as those from the soil of the northern species. All of the flowers have solid, sturdy stalks that are covered with fuzzy leaves. The heads, as the flowers are sometimes called, can get quite large and heavy, so the stalk must be stiff and strong.

Many gardeners do not plant sunflowers in their flower gardens because they can be on the invasive side as they are very enthusiastic about reproducing. I am not one of those gardeners. I have three new sunflower plants my garden and hope that we can get them to reproduce and take over one section of the front yard. Not to mention, the seeds are very good for the local birds and the bees love the flowers, and we have a very, very bird, bee and butterfly friendly yard.

Sunflowers_in_fieldThese flowers can be either a perennial or an annual, depending upon the species.

They are cultivated in fields, and if anyone has driven across a highway in Kansas, you may have seen thousands of these delightful and cheerful flowers nodding in the sunshine.

They are found in most states in the United States, and they may all have a slight different appearance between the regions. Kansas is so fond of these flowers that they declared them to be the state flower.

Incans worshipped the sunflower, and the sunflower seeds appear to play a role in the burial process for the Native American.

We eat its seeds, cook with its oil and enjoy its beauty.

Impressionists were captivated by the golden flower and it remains a favorite focus of photos and paintings today. Van Gogh dedicated a lot of hours to painting five large canvases filled with a vase of sunflowers as he experimented with using only shades of yellow.

It is the flower that symbolizes the third anniversary.

The sunflower is a bold addition to any bouquet of cut flowers, and Mother’s Day is a perfect time to add this showy flower to her table centerpiece.

However, if you want her to enjoy sunflowers all year round, then give her a gift that is as bold and golden as the sunflower. These handmade artists and designers have a large selection of gift ideas for any woman in your life that you call “mom” that capture the yellow of this sunny flower.

Yellow Flower Doily with Double Ruffled Lace

RSS Designs in Fiber 

Yellow White Flower Earrings

Lady Green Eyes Jewelry 

Cute Owl Earrings,

Pretty Gonzo 

Dream – Brown Jasper Bracelet Set

Linorstore 

Crocheted Irish Knit Lace Scarf Soft Yellow

Magdalene Knits 

Sunny Side Up Polka Dotted Dichroic Glass Fun Handmade Dangle Earrings

Umeboshi 

Hand Knit Golden Sunflower Cotton Dish Cloth or Wash Cloth

HollyknitterCreation 

Rustic Sunflowers Dog Bandana

SewAmazin 

Sunflower Pot Holder Refrigerator Magnet Set

Blue Morning Expressions 

Antique Gold Fan Earrings

Treasures of Jewels 

Amber Garnet Bib Necklace

Shadow Dog Designs 

Swarovski Sunflower Antique Brass Hypoallergenic Chandelier Earrings

Kats All That 

Wild Sunflower In Tones Of Honey Canvas Print

Colleen Cornelius 

Flower Necklace

Blonde Peach Jewelry 

Etched Medium Lemon Yellow Lampwork Beads

Covergirl Beads 

WOOD PANSY FLOWER WALL HANGING CLOCK

Kevs Krafts 

Bright Yellow And Blue Necklace Bracelet Earring Set Millefiori Flower

The Singing Beader 

Multi Amber Marquise Sterling Silver Link Bracelet 7"

Dianes Dangles 


Hope that you enjoyed these gorgeous creations. If you do not see what you are looking for, contact any of the above friendly and creative artists, and I am sure that they will be more than happy to make something just for your “mom”.

If you want to see more of their outstanding works, then here are some more links from which to shop:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

And even more!

Tulips

What’s in a Name?

The Flowers of the Gods

Enjoy, and share this blog post and all of these handmade items with your friends and family! We handmade artists always appreciate a good share. Smile

Julie

www.bluemorningexpressions.com