Date:  June 21, 2016  |   Photography: Rett Peek  |  

There’s, perhaps, no flower more reminiscent of a casual summer day than a sunflower. With large cheerful faces, these blooms seem to wear a smile that knows of mornings spent by the water’s edge, afternoons of chats on the porch with a glass of iced tea, and nights of fireflies and homemade ice cream. And, while these American natives may be beautiful, they are equally hardy and able to tolerate summer’s elements when grown in the garden.