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Suzan's Treasures: Flower of the Month - Sunflower
November 3, 2009 - 4:30pm
Days are becoming shorter, and the fields and woods around us glow with amber and scarlet. Here in Maryland, the golden sunflowers are full and ripe with seeds, giving us food for wildlife and a few last of the season cut flowers.
Sunflowers are native to Central and South America. Archaeologists have found evidence of sunflower cultivation more than 2000 years ago. Native Americans ground the seeds into a meal, pressed the kernels for cooking oil and medicines, and used the stalks for weaving mats. The Incas revered the sunflower, and used the sunflower motif in ritual vessels. Aztec priestesses wore sunflower designs on their vestments. Wouldn’t they have loved this artisan sunflower charm bracelet or this carved celluloid pin!
Sunflowers were first brought to Europe in the 1500’s and planted as an exotic ornamental. In the 1700’s, sunflowers were cultivated for food and cooking oil in Russia, and were finally reintroduced to the Americas in the 1800’s. The large flower-heads, which really do resemble the sun, have captured the attention of artists in Europe and America. Everyone knows Van Gogh’s famous sunflowers, but we often see sunflower motifs in art from the Aesthetic Movement of the late 1800’s, like this lovely Art Nouveau stamp box.
Today’s sunflowers are much different than the daisy-like wild flowers that we still see in America’s Great Plains and the Southwest. Some varieties grow 10 – 12 feet high, with flowers as big as dinner plates. There are many new varieties available, including dwarf cultivator's, some with multiple flowers and flowers in the red and orange shades of autumn. All are easy to grow and will delight your children and grandchildren.
As summer comes to an end and we prepare for the holidays, I wish I could catch a little sunshine in a bottle – and this lovely cut glass perfume bottle is the one I’d keep it in. All the wonderful sunflowers above, and more, can be found on Ruby Lane. It’s time to start holiday shopping, and while you do, why not catch a little sunshine for yourself? SuzansTreasures Search for beautiful 'sunflower' motif items on Ruby Lane. |
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