My Sunflower Garden

My favorite flower is the sunflower. Not only because of its simplicity and the psychological benefits of its bright yellow hue, but because sunflowers need a ton of tender love and care to grow, and because of this, to me, they represent growth.

Like any flower, the helianthus (greek for "sunflower") requires the proper soiled environment, daily watering, and of course, lots and lots of sunlight. As I started my sunflower garden back in early June, I started with a bag of seeds from Wal-Mart and a whole lot of doubt from family members (because who would have thought my back yard could produce such beauty). Anyway, as the months progressed, I had no idea that the seeds would turn into a legit garden of twelve 9foot flowers that would brighten my day, each and every day this summer. 

Now, don't get me wrong, they were beyond beautiful, but getting them to that point was hard work. To begin, I have nature to thank because it did its thaaang when it came to these flowers. However, I do feel somewhat responsible for my babies -- and that's exactly what they are, my babies, do not question me. As aforementioned, sunflowers in my opinion represent growth, like that of the growth of a child. Me being so interested in the development of children and adolescents as it is I think helped me appreciate the growth of these flowers even more! 

I started by planting the seeds in a soil cube and carefully nurtured these little plants indoors, that were no taller than the grass outdoors. Once they were tall enough to go into the ground, that's where they went. Everyday for the first month and a half was the same routine: smell them, smile at them, and water them. Similar to the development or growth of an infant, you can't really do anything besides coo at them, feed them, and let them sleep (in other words, let them grow). This routine lasted until about mid-July because by then, I had to begin to tie them to the posts because they were getting taller and taller, and were unable to stand up on their own. I immediately compared this part of the development process to a todler learning to crawl or walk. Before you know it, by August 1st, I had 9foot sunflowers fully bloomed and providing us with seeds and extra brightness to our day (like any child would, minus the seeds). 

Looking back on this gardening experience, I am convinced it helped me relocate myself after 4 long years of undergraduate stidies, and of course personal struggles in between. You may think, "They're just flowers" or "Why is this such a big deal", but when one loses themself, getting back to who they knew, who they thought they knew, or who they want to become isn't easy. Graduating college, moving to a new location, and really just becoming a member of the real world was a tad bit scary. I am convinced that maintinaing and caring for life (my sunflowers) helped me realize that I too can be metaphorically compared to as a flower: 

Flowers need the proper environment to grow. They need to be watered and cared for and protected, but most importantly, they need time alone, in the sun, to grow. Point is, when the flower dosen't bloom, change the environment in which it grows. Not the flower.