We have all grown up driving through the Midwest, especially Kansas, and seeing acres and acres of sunflowers. Sunflowers are so much fun because of the way the flower follows the sun across the sky all day. Those huge sunflower fields are stunning from a distance, but up close you see that the flower is mostly a giant seed head and small petals. Those sunflowers are a crop—the farmers are growing them to harvest the seed.

We source our seed from a company that has forty years of botany experience raising sunflower seed and creating new hybrids of ornamental sunflowers. The petals are the main event—both in shape and in color. Our vendor, Sunflower Selections, works tirelessly to provide its customers with sunflower seed that will produce consistently beautiful sunflowers that also stay looking good for over a week when cut.

This year, we are planting a dozen different varieties, everything from the normal orangey-gold you expect to see, to pinks and reds, as well. The maturation dates are varied so the entire field will have constantly blooming flowers for over a week.