Sunflowers

23 July 2025

You may be wondering why I am writing a blog about sunflowers. What on earth has that got to do with mental health and emotional well-being?

Inspiration

Well, sometimes the things we see in nature inspire us, and the sunflowers growing in my garden have recently inspired me.

Look at the picture, and what do you notice about the sunflowers? What do you think of them? How many can you see in the pot? Are they all the same? What else is in the pot?

This is what I noticed about the sunflowers:

• They are all different sizes
• Some are taller, and some have bigger leaves
• Some are only just sprouting
• There are four sunflower plants
• There is a stick for support, and clothes pegs
• The sunflowers are only leaves now, there are no flowers

So what?

Well, what you might not know about these sunflowers, is that they were all planted at the same time. But they are all growing at a different pace. The biggest one has grown the quickest, and the smallest one has only just started to grow – it needed a bit more time. And I think people can be a bit like that sometimes.

More time for what?

More time to learn about something. More time to grow into their full potential. Perhaps, more time to understand their emotions, or start to feel better about something. And that is all ok.

And what about support?

Well, the two tallest sunflowers need the most support. They are still strengthening their stems and if you removed the stick and the clothes pegs, they would flop over and struggle to keep growing. As the two smaller sunflowers grow, they are going to need a bit of support too, so they can strengthen their stems. And maybe, if we get some rain, the slugs and snails will come out and I will need to protect the sunflowers from being munched as lunch! Most sunflowers need some support at some point, so they can grow and flower.

What does support have to do with emotional well-being?

Often, we need support with our emotional well-being. Perhaps, it has been a tough time, or we struggle with big feelings, or how to manage our thoughts. We might need a different type of support or support at a different time to other people and that is ok. It is about getting the support you need when you need it, so you can keep growing.

When are the sunflowers going to flower?

The sunflowers in my pot are going to need a bit more time before they are going to flower. They have got some more growing to do first. And to grow they are going to need support food, warmth and light – the right conditions.

All of them will flower before the end of the summer. One will flower first, and one will flower last, and they will all be colourful and beautiful.

I am a person, I don’t flower?!

You are quite right – people don’t flower. But we do grow and we do learn and sometimes people talk about other people blooming and flowering – what they mean is reaching your full potential.

It is a good thing and something we will all do in our own time given the right conditions. What do you need to help you grow? Perhaps you can talk to a friend or family about this so you can get what you need?

Follow the Light

And finally, a random fact about sunflowers. Once a sunflower starts to flower, the flower will follow the sunlight. It will track the sun, over the course of every day. Pretty cool right?

So, what can you do to follow the light in your life? What things give you joy and help you feel calm, relaxed and happy? How can you do more of this?

It does not have to be something big or complicated – it could be sitting in nature for 5 minutes, or playing your favourite game, or reading a book or listening to music. Perhaps it is about creating something new or trying something different. The more we fill our life with positive things that give us joy, the more our needs are met and the easier it is to grow, and the more resilience we have to get through the harder days.

Benefits of Gardening

And perhaps, this blog inspires you to start growing some things yourself. Gardening is a really calming activity and you can get a real sense of achievement when your seeds grow. It is also fun to grow things you can eat and they often taste better than food from the shops because they are so fresh. Flowers have also been shown to boost the happy hormones in our brain, promoting feelings of well-being.

 You don’t need much, and it does not have to cost you. Here are some ideas you might like to try:

• Use soil from your garden or collect molehills if you cannot buy compost.
• Ask local farmers or horse yards if they have “manure” – this helps plants to grow.
• Upcycle and use old milk bottles, yoghurt pots, toilet roll middles or old holey wellies, to grow your plants in.
• Use seeds from the food you eat and see what will grow – apples and tomatoes often do well.
• Collect wildflower seeds when the flowers near you have finished – you might have some lovely poppies nearby that you can spread on bare earth – although they won’t grow until next year.
• Sometimes, people who do lots of gardening, have too much seed or spare plants – have a look around your community, someone might be giving plants away or selling them.
• If you don’t have a garden, that is ok – you can also grow plants inside on a windowsill, so long as they get a good amount of sunlight.
• Don’t forget to wash your hands after you have been gardening or using compost or manure.