Sunflower arrangements are one of the most requested items for flower shops in the summer. These beautiful flowers are among the oldest to be grown in North America and have a wonderful history in our country.

Native Americans used Sunflowers for food and oil, and often used the seeds to feed their livestock. Today we continue to use sunflower seeds to make oil and also as a form of a snack for both humans and birds. The plentiful supply of sunflower seeds can be attributed to the fact that each flower head consists of about 1,000 to 2,000 seeds.

The popularity of Sunflowers comes from their reputation of being one of the fastest growing plants. Within a six month time span they can reach between 8 and 12 feet. The tallest recorded Sunflower was actually grown in The Netherlands. The Sunflower grew to an astonishing size of 25 feet and 5.5 inches.

The scientific name of sunflowers is Helianthus, Helia for sun and Anthus for flower. This name comes from the sunflowers well known characteristic of following the sun’s movement. This phenomenon is called heliotropism and is the main reason the flower received its name.