Can you love a flower too much?

Flowers. Who doesn't love them?
Especially this time of year, everywhere you look, something seems to be in bloom. From year to year, I've always had a favorite flower...bee balm, alstromeria, tulips, delphinium, but I've found my favorite over the last few years hasn't changed.
I am in love with the simple sunflower.
For some unknown reason, these flowers touch me and make me happier than any other. I smile more when the sunflowers begin to bloom. Their brightness, their beauty, their sturdiness, all of these things, just make me feel very happy.

My love of sunflowers has carried over into the decorating scheme of my home. Here is my friend, the "Cow in the Sunflowers". He lives in my kitchen:

"Sunflower Farm in Illinois" enhances my living room (photo credit: Gnightgirl from This Just In):

An all-season sunflower lives on my side porch:

And if I ever write you a note, it may just come on a sunflower card with a sunflower stamp:

As often as possible, I like to bring the real thing inside:

And, as if this flower wasn't perfect enough, once these beauties are finished blooming, those great big sunny heads will delight the birds, squirrels and chipmunks with their juicy, black seeds:

So, given my love for this flower, it won't be surprising when I say that I am about to plant some sunflowers in my garden. But if you remember my blog post on my garlic planting last fall, where I planted eight different varieties of garlic instead of just one type, you'll know I probably have something similar in mind for my sunflower garden.

I have been collecting various and diverse packets of sunflower seeds for months. And the time is finally here...it's time to plant them.

I have thirteen different varieties just waiting to be planted. My pal, Marcee, even sent me three unusual varieties from her favorite seed store, Johnny's. Though I plan to scatter the majority of the seeds randomly throughout my yard, being a bit of a nerd, I also will be planting a small "test" garden in one spot where I can track one or two of each type and identify each one when it blooms.

That's what these little wooden stakes are for, noting the variety and how tall they should grow:

Picture me smiling right now.