Sunflower

Where does the meaning of sunflowers come from?

The sunflower's meaning of adoration and loyalty comes from the Greek tale of Clytie, the nymph who turned her face to follow the sun god each day. Young sunflowers really do track the sun across the sky, a habit botanists call heliotropism, before settling to face east as they mature. The Victorians read all this as steadfast devotion, and it remains one of the most straightforwardly happy flowers we sell.

What does each colour of sunflowers mean?

The studio buys sunflowers in one colour, golden, and it carries the flower's whole meaning.

• Goldenadoration, loyalty and long life

When are sunflowers in season?

Sunflowers are in season June to September; they are not in the studio in October, and a bunch asked for them then is offered the nearest stem instead.

In the studio's bunches it is a focal flower: the one a bunch is built around, with the others chosen to frame it.

When should you give sunflowers?

Sunflowers carry loyalty, cheer and admiration, and the studio's guide to occasions lists them for birthdays, congratulations, get well and thank you. Each of those pages shows the other stems that say the same thing, and the bunches made for the day.

• Birthdayslisted beside dahlia, tulip and ranunculus
• Congratulationslisted beside peony, dahlia and gerbera
• Get welllisted beside chrysanthemum bloom, gerbera and snapdragon
• Thank youlisted beside garden rose, spray rose and hydrangea

Which other flowers mean the same as sunflowers?

The studio's guide to the meaning of flowers files every stem by what it says. These say the same as sunflowers, so a bunch can carry the message in another season or another colour:

• Loyaltychrysanthemum bloom, freesia, veronica and astilbe
• Cheertulip, chrysanthemum bloom, gerbera and snapdragon
• Admirationgarden rose, spray rose, ranunculus and lisianthus

What goes well with sunflowers in a bouquet?

Pairings follow the florist's rule: one voice leads and the others frame it, so a bunch has a focal flower, a secondary one, texture and green. Sunflowers are a focal flower, and in the studio's pairings they sit with these, each with a meaning of its own:

• Craspediatexture, which means good health and lasting cheer
• Alchemillatexture, which means comfort and protective love
• Sea Hollytexture, which means independence and attraction
• Alstroemeriaa secondary flower, which means friendship, devotion and mutual support
• Salalfoliage, which means abundance and quiet endurance
• Snapdragona secondary flower, which means graciousness and inner strength

How do I look after sunflowers in a vase?

The studio's care card for a hand-tied bunch says: Your bunch is tied so it stands on its own. The string is part of the arrangement, so leave it on. Cut a couple of centimetres off every stem at an angle with sharp scissors. A fresh cut drinks; a dry one seals over. Stand them in a clean vase of fresh, cool water with the flower food we sent. Top it up daily and change it every two or three days. Strip any leaves that would sit below the waterline, because leaves in water go slimy and spoil the water. Keep them out of direct sun and away from radiators, and never next to the fruit bowl: ripening fruit gives off a gas that ages flowers. A cool room overnight does them good. If the house is warm, a north-facing windowsill or a hallway is kinder than the kitchen. Take out anything that goes over before the rest. One tired stem makes the whole bunch look tired, and it hurries the others along. Every flower keeps its own pace: tulips go on growing in the vase, lilies open a bud at a time, and the softest stems are over first. How long they go on depends on the stems and the room they are in.