Sunflower Field Palette

It must be sunflower season because they are blooming everywhere I look, even in my own backyard. So I made a sunflower field palette, perfect for summer's end.

An Act of Faith

This year my daughter planted sunflower seeds at the beginning of the summer, even though we knew it was probably too late in the season. She faithfully watered them every day, and waited and watched to see what would happen.

I tried not to get my hopes up, while trying not to squash hers. (This little balancing act is parenting in a nutshell, amiright?)

I'm not a gardener of anything. In fact, I feel it's my duty not to bring plants home. They stand a better chance of thriving anywhere else but my house.

But she has faith and persistence, and maybe those are what it takes to be a good gardener.

Plus, I think she might talk to them when no one else is around.

The Waiting

So we waited several long weeks, and suddenly there were little green sprouts one day! She called us all out to the backyard and we marveled at the miracle of life. She nurtured those little shoots, all through the hot summer.

It seemed like every day we could see them getting taller. More and more leaves were climbing out of the top of those stalks and they were strong and green. It was like watching a nature documentary in our own backyard.

But no flowers.

She started wondering if we got the wrong kind of seeds. Or maybe she was taking care of them wrong. Maybe we started too late and the flowers would never have a chance to bloom.

All we could do was watch her water every day and hope for the best.

The Miracle

Then, when she was about to give up, we noticed the green leaves at the top of the plants looked funny. Turns out, the last leaf wasn't a leaf at all, but a budding sunflower!

Over a few days the buds grew and bloomed into giant yellow sunflowers, about 8 feet tall and as big as a dinner plate. They opened and turned their faces to the sun, following it across the sky as each day unfolded. Then they would do it again the next day, and the next.

Sunflowers blooming against a cloudy blue sky

Now I finally get why people become gardeners.

There's something magical about watching something grow from seed, out of the ground where you shoved it, and into something beautiful and useful.

I'm not saying I want to try it myself, mind you, I'm just happy that someone in our family got a green thumb. And faith and persistence.