Everyday Living

Here Comes The Sun(flowers)!

~ Decorating, Outdoors

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end”
Ecclesiastes 3:11

There is something about sunflowers that just make me smile!  Maybe it’s the way their brightness represents the sun.  Or it could be that when I look at one, it’s as if I see it smiling back at me! Or maybe it’s the way the vibrant yellow contrasts with the beautiful blue skies.  Or maybe a combination of all three!  Whatever it is, sunflowers bring a little joy and “happy” to my day!

As a young bride, I will never forget seeing a bedroom in a friend’s home that was decorated in a sunflower theme.  The comforter, window treatments, artwork were all dressed in sunflowers.  The room just oozed happy!!  And now, as years have gone by, sunflowers are still my flower of choice from the grocery store to make a happy bouquet for the kitchen or dining room table.

Butch and I have talked many times about planting  sunflowers…after all, we have almost 15 acres of land!  Last July, while visiting the Texas Hill Country, we stopped at a remarkable wild seed farm outside of Fredericksburg (www.wildseedfarms.com).  We could have spent the entire day at this real working wildflower farm and its lovely shops!  Fields of wild flowers were ablaze with color…and of course, our eyes were caught by a sea of the most gorgeous sunflowers!  That’s when we knew that these beauties had to be planted here at our home in Northeast Alabama! So, with expert help from their staff, we selected one pound of Grey Stripe Sunflower seed! Now, we tend to buy things and put them away, never able to find them again.  But I made sure that didn’t happen to our seeds…I placed the seeds in plain view as I open my pantry door to serve as a reminder!  So when the warmer weather rolled in, Butch prepared a little plot to plant the seeds!  And now we have our very own sunflower patch to enjoy and to share with you, our readers!  Maybe it will add a little “happy” to your day as it does mine, each time I look out my kitchen window!

 Sunflowers attract good bugs!  The big round landing pad packed with pollen is yelling, “Eat here”! Our first sign of a bloom!  Allison, our daughter-in-love, chose sunflowers as her primary flower for their wedding!  You can see more here: The Wedding Edition. Katy, our chosen daughter, cut sunflowers from our patch to add more color to the porch of her new house!  The red door and bistro set are just too fun!  Stay tuned as we decorate her home!
 Birthing of a bloom!! A bucket full of beauty!! Our Grey Stripe sunflowers are considered a giant among sunflowers!  They can reach 12 feet in height and produce 10″ – 12″ flowers! Allie’s bridal bouquet! Sunflowers, of course, thrive in full sun. The Grey Stripe variety is drought tolerant and makes plump tasty seeds!A recent Tablescape Tuesday with happy sunflowers as the centerpiece!  You can see it here: Sunflowers & Summer.
 Sweet sunflower arrangement awaiting Allison and her bridesmaids in the carriage house! Our Grey Stripes are easy to grow and are not fussy about soil!  Their seeds invite birds. The eating area in our garden provides us with a bird’s eye view! Pasture view of our happy patch! Allie’s bridesmaids’ bouquets! The sunflower is an important source of food.  Sunflower oil is a valued and healthy oil and sunflower seeds are a nutritious and tasty snack! Sunflower varieties!  Sunflowers belong to the genus Helianthus, which contains over 80 different species! Ah…red barn and sunflowers!5826db22df452296989669abe1c1cb42 A field near San Gimignano in Tuscany Sunflower loveliness in vintage tea canisters!tumblr_nciifokbOB1shc9bto1_500A field of sunflowers…bliss!  A basketful of sunshine! A creative display! Harvesting and drying sunflower seeds!spring-centerpieces-happy-party-theme-for-new-year-wedding-ideas-5 Sunflowers mix so well with other flowers
 Some of these images have been pulled from my Pinterest boards, Country Living and Baubles and Bouquets and are linked back to the original source. Thank you for taking a stroll through our sunflower patch with us today!  We love sharing our everyday living with you!

pam closing

Linking with Pieced Pastimes, Silver Pennies, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Mod Vintage Life, Coastal Charm, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, The Dedicated House, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch To Yours, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Style Sisters, The Charm of Home, The Winthrop Chronicles, Cornerstone Confessions, A Delightsome Life, Imparting Grace, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, My Romantic Home, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup, TheEnchanting Rose, Alabama Women Bloggers, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Oh My Heartsie Girl,  Cozy Little House, Rattlebridge Farm, The Turquoise Home, My Flagstaff Home, In The New House, Natasha in Oz, Vintage Refined

Comments

  2. Beautiful, Pam! The encasement of blooms around your outdoor eating area is wonderful. Looks like a cocoon of happiness! Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures. 🙂

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  3. Dear Pam,
    I’m pretty new to Everyday Living and so far I’m enjoying everyone of them. Today’s Sunflower Theme was a particular delight! Thanks for sharing ?

    Sent from my iPhone

    Paula

    >

    Reply

  4. I have to tell you – I bypassed buying any when we were shopping for flowers this year – this post has completely changed my mind – they’re on my list now for next year – just gorgeous !!!

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  5. There is nothing like a sunflower to lift your spirits! These are all stunning photos and great information. I grew some in pots…the squirrels had “planted” a few in my flower box and I transplanted them in big pots. They were a little spindley but grew tall and were gorgeous. After running out of seed in the bird feeder, the squirrels destroyed what was left of mine 🙁 Have a great Thursday!

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  6. Wow!….your sunflowers are so beautiful and the bouquets of them are stunning!….I love the Wildseed Farm in Texas….we came upon it by accident when traveling to Fredericksburg…so whenever we are in the area, it is a place that I must stop!…it is a fabulous place….will have to research the best time to plant them in my area….thanks for a most gorgeous post!!!

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    • Shirley, I find it interesting that you found the farm by accident just like we did! I could have stayed all day in their fields, except it was a 102 on that day and was unbearable! I love the Texas Hill Country!! Thanks for your gracious words and have a great weekend!
      Blessings,
      Pam

      Reply

  7. Beautiful! I love the yellow bike with a basketful of sunflowers! I have grown the big ones here in CA too, and my girls and I harvested the seeds, baked them and ate them up! Thanks for the reminder!

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  10. How can sunflowers not make you smile! They are yellow rays of sunshine with big brown eyes. The most impressive I have ever seen was a field in Hungary where they stood as tall salutes to the sky.

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  11. I LOVE sunflowers. They are like smiles from God. Although I also really love roses, there is just nothing as happy as a sunflower!

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  12. I know I’m late commenting. But, I love this post.As I’ve said before sunflowers are my fav!

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  13. Wow! I love the image of your sunflower field! Just beautiful and yes, very happy! 🙂 I planted a mini version at our little farmstead for the first time this year. You’ve inspired me to plant more next year! Thank you! ~julie

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  15. I love sunflowers. Next year we are so going to plant some to enjoy in our new backyard oasis. Thanks for sharing this on the #HomeMattersParty and hope you will come back and link up again next week.

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  17. I just came back from a prayer journey throughout Italy and one of my favorite places was the region of Asti, where there endless fields of sunflowers, seemingly, at every turn of the road! Thanx for sharing this lovely post!

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    • Judy, how exciting to have been on a prayer journey and to Italy! I will be visiting your blog to find out more!
      Thank you for commenting!
      Blessings,
      Pam

      Reply

  18. Oh, how I love sunflowers! They always make my day happier 🙂 We have sunflowers all along the Interstate and they never fail to bring a smile to my face when I’m out driving.

    Thanks for sharing with Roses of Inspiration. Blessings to you, friend!

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  19. What a lovely post with beautiful pictures. I love sunflowers, but never grow them. Recently I was looking at a seed catalog and marveling at all of the colors and varieties. Next year I’m going to try growing some smaller ones in my container garden on my deck.

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  20. Your sunflowers are so beautiful! I have never grown them before but after seeing your pictures, I’m convinced that my garden can’t live without them next year. I’m going to give them a try. Thanks for sharing at Inspiration Thursday!

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  22. Those are beautiful sunflowers. They happen to be my favorite. They really do go well with everything, I love the bucket arrangements. They make be smile and keep me happy. What a lovely post.

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  24. Sunflowers are my favorite flower and a field of sunflowers just speaks to my soul!! I used to plant them in my small garden and after this post, I have to start doing that again. Even one or two in the garden is better than none. I envy your field of sunflowers! I did get to see a field of them in Tuscany in person, but just driving by in a bus!

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  25. I see them on Instagram and as soon as I saw the link on our Tuesday Talk – I knew who it was! These pictures look like a rack of gardening postcards. Truly amazing how you capture the true essence of summer and God’s creation. I could stare all day and I don’t even have to grow them. Not even attempting-not for lack of trying. I am SO giving you a SHOUT OUT feature on next week’s Tuesday Talk for my “All Things Summer.” Stop back at Grammie Time to see what I share. Nicely done.

    Reply

    • Michelle, thank you so much for your warm and gracious comments and I am so excited that you are going to feature the post! I am thrilled I discovered you via Instagram! Have a great Wednesday afternoon and evening!
      Blessings,
      Pam

      Reply

  26. Great post! I love sunflowers, but unfortunately so do deer as they ate every last one of mine. So depressing. Love looking at your gorgeous pics though!

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    • Amy, we have lots of deer and I am not sure why they didn’t eat mine, but so glad they didn’t! Thank you and have a great rest of the week!
      Blessings,
      Pam

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  29. Wow what a joyful post! I love sunflowers too- I just wish I had a good sunny spot to grow some. Love your setting and view of them and all the other wonderful sunflower inspired pictures!

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  30. Sunflowers are to pure summer! What a wonderful post!!! Thank you for sharing and bringing in the sun!
    All my best and happy days
    Elisabeth

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  31. Love your sunflowers. They were my Mom’s favorite. My hubby drove me out of town a couple of years ago to see a field of big sunflowers as a birthday drive. Loved it. Came home and blogged about it and learned so much about them.

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  32. Pam,
    Thank you for sharing your beautiful sunflowers with all of us at Show and Share. They will be featured at my party this week.

    Blessings,
    Linda

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    • Linda, thank you so much and I will be looking forward to the feature! Yes, it is hot in Gadsden, and I wish I was at the beach! Stay cool and have a wonderful weekend!
      Blessings,
      Pam

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  33. Pam, I love sunflowers and think they are especially beautiful when paired with red! Of course I love the red set and the barn. I have some reseed and come back every year. This is the first year that none of the blooms are large. I think I will need to plant new ones next year. Love your birds eye view! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  34. Pam, those sunflowers are amazing! I have been trying to plant sunflowers for years now but for some reason my husband is not a fan:(. I just might have to sneak some in anyway they are amazing flowers. Thanks so much for sharing this at Dream. Create. Inspire. Link:). Have a great weekend and take care, Tara

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  35. As you know, seeing sunflowers does not require a trip to Tuscany. My brother is groundskeeper supervisor at The Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. Each year acres of sunflowers are planted intentionally for wildlife which draws attention from both magazine and television media. Visitors may enjoy the sight as much as the wildlife eating the seeds.
    Just before enjoying your post, we were blessed to have our six year old granddaughter make her inaugural summer visit to our house without her parents. While stopping by the grocer for a couple items, she latched onto a potted ? sunflower which of course we took home. She said “the fairies will like it”!
    Your Sunflowers & Summer” post is an inspirational reminder of a table setting I had in mind using some faux sunflowers stashed away.

    Reply

    • Patty, I so enjoyed reading your comments! The Biltmore and its landscape is, of course, unbelievable! I am sure your brother enjoys his work! Love the story of your granddaughter! I don’t have grandchildren but am anxiously hoping! Have a joy-filled Sunday and please visit again!
      Blessings,
      Pam

      Reply

  37. I love this! I am always amazed at how such a big flower grows from such a little seed! We like to cut ours when they’ve gone to seed, put them in a bird bath and let the birds eat them! I think the birds like it better than the water!

    Reply

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