Sunflower Mania

Bursting with good cheer, these sun mavens provide a lot of show for the cost; then give still more as they dry into everlasting beauty.

You can't flip through a magazine without catching sight of a sunflower, even in bridal bouquets. This floral equivalent of a "happy face" has a tenacious grip on the public's fancy. Now, with so many new varieties, your customers can choose from a medley of sunflower beauty.

California varieties span the warm segment of the color spectrum, with lemon, orange, and deep red-brown varieties. Face size ranges from a mini (three inch) variety to the standard six inches. There is a double-flowering variety and one grown as a spray for bouquets. Traditional sunflowers? Yes, of course, and some are pollen-less.

Newcomers to the California collection include 'Indian Summer' with deep red, almost burgundy petals melting into light yellow tips. 'Prado', nicknamed the "chocolate" sunflower, is a smoldering beauty with a dark center and red-brown petals. 'Tricolor,' has golden yellow petals deepening to reddish brown tips.

Nothing says country like the sunflower. It probably originated in the prairie states and its image is interwoven with our country's early history. The American Indians ground sunflowers as a staple in their diet. It is a natural in country designs, partnered with solidago, cosmos, yarrow, native grasses and rustic branches.

Darker varieties signal the changing seasons when paired with autumn leaves and berries. Despite their down-home image, sunflowers can also go uptown. Richly colored flowers, such as purple gladioli, set off their homespun beauty. Sunflowers grow year round in California , but their fullest production is from early summer to fall. Hot summer days, cool autumn nights, sunflowers fill the bill for both seasons.

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