Sunflowers Are It!!! Oct 1, 2009 Everywhere I look this Fall, I see sunflowers! Flower shops. Green Grocers. Fall Festivals. Backyards. T-shirts. Posters. Greeting cards… Sunflowers really lift the spirit! Their bright, bold but comfortable, sunny heads signal happiness and good cheer. But it doesn’t stop there – this flower is not just a pretty face. Like most of us these days, it is a real multi-tasker – both inside and out… …the seeds are delicious and nutritious. They make a great snack – chock full of vitamins E and B1 as well as other important nutrients. …the oil – polyunsaturated! – is great for cooking. It is also used in cosmetics and skincare products. …the flowers make fabulous indoor arrangements. …outdoors, the bright colour attracts the birds and the seeds feed the squirrels. …and it’s striking beauty has made it a favourite art subject.  Vincent Van Gogh painted it many times.  See what London’s National Gallery has to say about his most famous painting, Sunflowers. http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/vincent-van-gogh-sunflowers At McBlooms, we use sunflower seed oil in a number of our natural skincare products.  It is a wonderful emollient.  It smoothes the skin without clogging pores. It also helps the skin retain moisture – so critical as we head into our North American winter!!   Note to self:  Next Spring, set aside a patch in our garden to grow sunflowers.   It will be quite easy to do.  I will start the seeds indoors in individual peat pots about 3 weeks before the last frost date. Then I’ll plant the seedlings outdoors in our nice loamy – not too sandy – garden soil, so that they can spread their roots deep and wide to give them a good anchor.   I’ll plant them so that they will get almost full day sun. I’ll feed them a balanced fertilizer and then I’ll give them a little extra phosphorus and potassium when the flower buds begin to develop, to encourage  a larger flower head.  I will be able to harvest the flower heads in September –some for the seeds, some for arranging. But I can’t wait until next year!  So I’m off to visit Vanderfleet, our local florist. Guess what’s going on our Thanksgiving table this year! http://www.vanderfleet.com/ Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving and Happy October everyone. Enjoy this wonderful month --  whatever your plans – inside and out. Wendy

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