teddy bear sunflowers: old memories, new blooms, and buzzing debates

This morning, as I stepped into my backyard, the sight of my Teddy Bear Sunflower in full bloom took me right back to my grandmother’s garden in Ohio. I remember her sunflowers towering over me, their golden faces always turned to the sun, and the gentle hum of bees weaving through the petals. Today, my own sunflower—fluffy and round, so different from the classic varieties—was hosting tiny bees, napping in the soft yellow center. It made me wonder: are we losing something by choosing these new, ornamental hybrids over the sturdy, seed-heavy giants our parents grew? My neighbor, a lifelong gardener, shakes his head at my Teddy Bear, calling it ‘just for show’ and missing the days when sunflowers meant food for birds and family. But my granddaughter loves the way these blooms look in her Instagram photos, and the local garden club praises their adaptability to our unpredictable Midwest springs. Still, there’s tension in our community. Some say the new varieties don’t support pollinators as well, while others argue that any flower is better than a bare lawn. And with the city’s new guidelines on native planting, I find myself caught between tradition and change, beauty and responsibility. As I watch the bees rest, I can’t help but feel that our gardens are becoming battlegrounds for bigger questions—about heritage, progress, and what it means to belong to a place. What do you think: should we stick to the old ways, or embrace the new? #sunflowers #gardeningdebate #familytradition #Gardening