The Power of Sunflowers

Like many others, I was moved by the viral video of a Ukrainian woman confronting a Russian soldier, telling him to put sunflower seeds in his pockets "so at least sunflowers will grow when you all lie down here." It is an statement at once so brutal and so poetic - I imagine these beautiful sunflowers growing in the aftermath of war, as the land heals. 

Sunflowers have powerful healing properties. They can draw toxic chemicals out of the soil, and even neutralize the effects of nuclear radiation. They can remove heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. They have been used to remove radiation from the soil at both Chernobyl and Fukushima. They can hold these toxic chemicals in their cells, keep them safely out of the soil, and it doesn't kill them. What a powerful symbol, to have sunflowers as your national flower. And of course I think back to my observations on the resilience of sunflowers in my garden. They are so beautiful and so strong.

I am also thinking about Parliament grounds today. It's hard to see the images of the land looking completely trashed, a muddy mess covered in rubbish. There are many reasons I am saddened by the occupation of our Parliament grounds, but as a gardener, it was hard to see the the grounds themselves treated with such blatant disrespect. I know it is fanciful, I know it is the wrong time of year, and I know native plants would be more appropriate, but I can't help picturing Parliament grounds replanted as a field of tall, golden sunflowers, waving in the Wellington breeze, healing the land.