It is definitely spring here in the Southern Hemisphere, and a great time to be adding flowers and colour to your garden. I love this time of year, I love seeing all the flowers popping out and blossoming, and I am always excited to start off my own sunflower seeds.
Sunflowers can be sown from seed, from August to January. I usually like to start mine off indoors, behind glass, at the very end of winter. However this year I have been able to sow them straight into pots, and put them in a plastic box in my new raised garden bed. This keeps them out of the wind, out of the reach of slugs, and also gives some extra heat. We have recently been blessed with some good downpours of rain, which have soaked the seeds and helped them to germinate in the following sunny days.
Sunflowers have special symbolic meanings, and they are also useful for nutrition and cleansing. According to the website
sunflowers are seen as a sign of hope, warmth, positivity and strength. They symbolise strong bonds and happiness, and are known as the happy flower.
Sunflower seeds are edible, and very good for human nutrition. The website
tells us that sunflower seeds are rich in healthy fats, beneficial plant compounds, and lots of vitamins and minerals which may play a role in reducing risk of common health problems, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. They are especially high in vitamin E and selenium, which are essential antioxidants protecting your body against inflammation, free radical damage and subsequent disease. Sunflower seeds are high in fibre, and contain magnesium, protein, and essential fatty acids. They are a great addition to salads, granola mix and protein bars, baking, vege burgers, home made nut and seed butter, and many more.
Sunflowers are super useful for the environment - they help to remove toxins from the soil, so they are excellent in your garden for many reasons.
Each year, I grow sunflowers in memory of those who have passed on, as well as those who are still with us. Sunflowers remind us to follow the light, as the sunflower follows the sun. They remind us to be happy and optimistic, and can cheer us up when we are feeling blue. Sunflowers are loved by bees and butterflies, and they will provide you with enough seeds to grow more sunflowers in your garden forever!
