If you live anywhere near the Northern half of California, you are fortunate enough to see these beautiful seas of yellow.  As far as the eye can see, never-ending rows of bright, eager faces.  A vast army of happy soldiers, gladly tracking their leader; the sun.  

A portion of these happy soldiers goes on to delight us with their seeds.  We crack them at baseball games, use the shelled nuts in our salads and sometimes we use them in specialty butter

The other portion goes on to delight us with their beauty.  

Right now you can find fresh California sunflowers in your local grocery or farmer’s market!  

I suggest next time you see them, grab a bunch or two and bring all that happiness home with you… It’s infectious!

Here are some of my favorite ways to showcase their beauty…

Using large, individual jars of different heights and shapes.  This adds a great dimensional aspect that is so captivating to admire.  I could stare at this all day!

Using a three-tiered platter, pack in several heads on each tier.  Keep them hydrated by floating the heads in shallow dishes or vases.  Perfect for a late summer get-together on the patio

Don’t throw out those empty glass booze bottles anymore!  Use an old whiskey or tequila bottle as a fun and festive arrangement

Keep it classic and homey with the addition of a tall water pitcher.  Pack them in tight for extra pizzaz!

A galvanized bucket is the perfect vessel to add a rustic look to your bouquet.  I love how you can keep the stems super long with this one.  Keep them upright by adding pebbles to the bottom of the bucket before filling with water.

Layering in snapdragons and citrus leaves is easy and adds just enough contrast to keep it interesting in this mason jar

And last but not least, I always clip a few from my stems before making my arrangements. Float two or three heads in a shallow dish or bowl is the perfect cheer beside the kitchen sink

Happy Sunflowering!