garden | Outside The Lines

Are you enjoying the act of gardening this summer? Do you like to water plants, till soil, and watch flowers sway with a warm breeze? What does your garden have growing in it this time of year?

Sunflowers are a main attraction in many yards. Helianthus (as they are scientifically known) seem to catch everyone’s attention. They are popular because of their unique appeal. The flower is commonly associated with happiness because of its unusual height and brilliant color.

The tallest growing flower, with potential of reaching between 8 and 13 feet, is a summer favorite in North America and throughout the world.

Cheer Up Your Garden

Has this summer inspired you to add more color to your life? If yes, consider cheering up your garden with sunflowers.

There are many types of sunflowers you can plant. Some grow taller than a person and develop bright yellow blooms the size of dinner plates. Others come in shades of orange and red.

With tall stems and large, colorful blossoms, sunflowers are known to be useful too. They can create a natural fence to block a neighbor’s unsightly yard and distract from the view with pops of color.

Why Plant Sunflowers

Sunflowers are native to North America but can be found all over the world now. They are easy to maintain and can begin growing within six months of planting seeds. In addition, seeds can be planted up to 100 days before freezing temperatures strike. Any seeds that fall on fertile soil (as this is important for sunflowers) may surprise you by shooting up quickly next spring.

When autumn begins to sweep in, you can cut the head of the flower off a few inches down the stem. Hanging it up in an airy place to dry will produce many seeds. You can gather the seeds and use them for cooking or save them to plant the following year.

Interesting Facts about Sunflowers

Sunflowers are not only a beautiful addition to any garden, they are also interesting. There are many surprising facts about sunflowers. Wet your curiosity with these four truths. Then, learn more by reading this blog:

A single sunflower is made up of thousands of flowers joined together- each pedal represents one flower.
Sunflower heads track the sun, which is correctly known as heliotropism.
Sunflowers are the national flower of Russia.
The tallest sunflower grew to be over 25 feet tall.

Sunflowers are summer’s glory. There are many ways you can express your creativity this season, and many mediums that allow for artistic expression. Gardening can be a canvas to those who like to be outside in nature.

Yard work does not seem very artistic at times, but think about it this way: no two gardens are the same. By all means, get outside and create your unique art garden this summer.

Read more Segmation blog posts about Gardening:

Garden Art Knows No Limits

Where Urban Life Meets Natural Art

Tulipmania Art

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Is there a limit to what can be considered art? It is very likely that there will never be a consensus on that question. Every person has his or her own opinion of what constitutes art. For Pearl Fryar, art doesn’t merely exist in the form of oil paints on a canvas or chalk pastels on paper, it exists in a most unusual place: His garden.

In 1984, Pearl Fryar wanted to win the “Yard of the Month” title in his community. In an effort to do that, he began creating a garden that would one day become what it is today: a three acre topiary wonder. Possessing only desire and no training, Fryar set out to purchase plants for his garden. He took home the raw materials of his soon-to-be feast for the senses as well as a three-minute lesson in topiaries. From those basic resources, Fryar created a garden that is as true an art form as one can find.

Years after he had started crafting his garden, people began to tell Pearl Fryar that he had broken the rules of horticulture in the creation of his art. By that time, he had cultivated a masterpiece that was drawing major attention.

There is something about art that intrinsically draws people to the divine and eternal. The art that resides in Pearl Fryar’s garden is no different. Each week 300-500 people flock to his garden with all the fervor of those pursuing a weekly service at a church or temple. Fryar commented that he considers his garden as much a ministry as any place of worship.

Bente Borsum said, “Art knows no limit, and the artist will never achieve perfection.” How true that statement has proven itself in the life of Pearl Fryar. His garden art has outgrown the limits of what is considered a “traditional” art form, and even proceeded to touch the human spirit. As far as achieving perfection in his craft, Fryar seems to know that he never will, and he is not concerned; that is not his goal.

What is Fryar’s goal for his garden art? In his own words, “The idea is to leave this garden with a message, to feel differently than you did when you started.” Pearl Fryar wants those who come into contact with his art to be changed; isn’t that the desire of all true artists?

http://www.scetv.org/index.php/etv_sumter/entry/pearl_fryars/

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