Flower favour focus: Sunflowers

Let’s face it, you can never fail to smile when you see a sunflower! With their big, daisy-like faces and bright, yellow petals, they bring the sunshine, whatever the weather! Needless to say, they’re popular with couples getting married, during the summer months, and look lovely with all themes - especially rustic barn weddings, outdoor ‘dos and vintage-inspired summer fete celebrations.

Where do sunflowers come from?

Sunflowers (or helianthus to give them their scientific name), are native to North America, however, now happily grow across most of the world - including the UK - during the summer months. It’s scientific name comes from the Greek word ‘helios' meaning sun and ‘anthos’ meaning flower, as it loves blooming under warm, sunny skies. Ahhh!

How to grow sunflowers

The best time to plant sunflowers is as the weather warms up our blustery shores - usually mid-April to May. As they love the sun, it’s no surprise that they thrive best in sunny spots (ideally with 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day), and also near to a wall or fence to give them stability as they shoot up.

When planting, be sure to give your sunflowers plenty of room to grow (their roots love to spread out!) and use well-draining soil. Push the seeds in to a depth of 1.5cm, about 30cm apart. Seedlings should appear within 10 days. Once the back of the sunflower’s head has turned brown, it means harvest time has arrived - for you or the birds!

How are sunflowers good for the environment?

These bold, oversized flowers easily grab the attention of bees (and other pollinators) who busily buzz into their centre, which is filled with hundreds of small flowers, and their nectar and pollen.

As they feast upon the flower, bees and other insects are covered in pollen. This pollination is fantastic for the sunflower (and in turn, the environment), by helping the flower to produce more seeds - and giving it a longer life.

Sunflowers at weddings

As these happy flowers are said to represent admiration, loyalty and longevity, they make a meaningful wedding flower. Add to this that in Chinese tradition they mean good luck and lasting happiness, and they’re the perfect addition to any wedding!

Display them in jam jars, teapots and urns or even on the back of the ceremony chairs, to add a simple yet stylishly rustic look to any style of big day.

Another thoughtful way to add sunflowers to your wedding day is by giving them as favours - this way these lovely sunshiney blooms can spread joy, long after the fun and frolics of your beautiful day.