# @ahs_gardening on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DQj667RErZD
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/55035534-ahs-gardening-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/385737981e.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-11-02T16:45:43.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Horticultural Society | American Gardener Magazine (@ahs_gardening) — https://gondola.cc/ahs_gardening

## Caption

🌻 SUNFLOWERS: MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE⁠
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From golden blooms to tasty seeds, this garden goliath shines bright every fall—and has for thousands of years. In “Sunflowers” by Kim Sigafus (Sept/Oct issue), we dig into the cultural, botanical, and practical power of one of America’s most iconic plants.⁠
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🌞 Ancient roots: Cultivated as early as 3,000 BCE in what’s now Arizona and New Mexico, sunflowers were first domesticated by Indigenous peoples who bred them into the sturdy, seed-rich forms we know today. Across Native cultures, the sunflower stands for courage and resilience. Seeds were baked into cakes for journeys and battles, or ground into powder to lift the spirit. In some traditions, it’s even called the symbolic “fourth sister” in the Three Sisters planting system.⁠
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🌱 Grow your own: Sunflowers thrive in full sun (6–8 hours daily) and loose, well-drained soil. They’re easygoing, fast-growing, and nearly waste-free:⁠
• Seeds can be roasted, pressed into oil, or milled into flour⁠
• Petals make tea⁠
• Leaves can be sautéed⁠
• Even the stalk’s inner pith is edible—raw like celery or lightly cooked⁠
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Sunflowers aren’t just for beauty—they’re for sustenance, symbolism, and joy.⁠
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Read the full story, “Sunflowers: More Than Just a Pretty Face,” in our September/October issue at ahsgardening.org.⁠
Not a member yet? Join us at connect.ahsgardening.org/join 🌻⁠
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Writer: Kim Sigafus ⁠
Photographers: Nancy J. Ondra hayefieldseeds , Saxon Holt saxonholt , and Matt Johnson ⁠
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#sunflowers #sunflowergarden #sunflowerseeds #ahsgardening #americangardener #sustainablegarden #ediblegarden #fallgardening #fallseason #autumnplants #perennials #nativeplants #indigenoushistory

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## Tags

fallgardening, sunflowers, nativeplants, ediblegarden, fallseason, americangardener, indigenoushistory, sunflowergarden, perennials, sunflowerseeds, autumnplants, ahsgardening, sustainablegarden

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