Sunflowers are a unique and wonderful plant. With the genus name of Helianthus annuus, a member of the Asteraceae family, they were cultivated by native Americans over 3000 years ago as a food source, which has been verified by carbon dating of seeds found in ancient dwellings. Little known fact is that the sunflower gets its name from the way that the head can usually follow the track of the sun itself, with the name helianthus coming from Helios (sun) and anthos (flower), hence sunflower.

With Lewis and Clark mentioning them in the journals of their travels through the plains and other areas, its little wonder that today these versatile plants are used for everything from decoration to cooking oil production, from snacks too ..well, you name it.

Presently, sunflower production is big business in Argentina having vast numbers of acres, followed by Russia and the United States. The US, Dakota, Texas, and Kansas have miles of sunflower farms, their bright yellow petals silently worshiping the sun. You can watch for miles as you drive past the plains. The production of sunflowers is United States second largest agricultural produce, after soy beans, and is valued for its oil.

Currently, sunflower production is threatened by the diminishing bee population. Because sunflowers are reproduced by bee pollination, sunflower production is endangered. This worries farmers and flower gardening enthusiasts.

The seeds of the sunflower have unbeatable nutritional value. It contains phytochemicals and contains a number of vitamins and minerals that the body needs. Scientific research confirmed that sunflower seeds are good for cardiovascular health and can lower cholesterol levels in the human body.

The sunflower can grow to a height of fifteen feet and this gives sunflower farmers reason to rejoice. With the help of modern farming technology, farmers can reap a thousand pounds of sunflower seeds per acre in a single crop. Still there is more to the sunflower; it is an awesome decoration and can serve as an inspiration, proof is Van Goghs famous sunflower painting. Is this not enough reason for loving the sunflower on its merits alone?

As many of us who are no longer engaged in a farming community, or live in areas that allow for growing flowers such as the sunflower, it’s just impractical to even consider having the ‘real thing’ all the time.

The rising cost of transport cost and harvesting of sunflowers makes it impractical to have sunflowers at any time of the year. To be practical, one can only delight in an occasional gift of sunflowers. But this is not what happens.

Still there is an option, thanks to modern technology in design and in the manufacturing processes. You can still have your beautiful sunflowers at all times and for posterity. Of course, this is taking the second best, the artificial sunflower. The artificial sunflowers look so real and are made with quality materials to give that realistic look and feel. No one would ever guess you are showing off artificial blooms; but that wouldnt matter. You will have your sunflowers all year round.