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One was of a giant sunflower surrounded by colorful insects, representing the flowering of childhood imagination.

This year’s standouts included a giant sunflower, several feathered numbers, and an “Alice in Wonderland”-themed hat with playing cards, a clock and a ribbon that read “We’re all mad here.”

Another gap can be plugged in late summer with the planting of the helianthus species — the hardy, perennial cousins of the giant sunflower and the wood aster.

Completely assembled in its clean room at Northrop Grumman in Los Angeles, the telescope, as viewed over a virtual “town hall” meeting during the conference, resembled a giant sunflower riding on a surfboard.

Anthropomorphism aside, perhaps no plants are better for a children’s garden than gentle, giant sunflowers.