Sunflowers

Sunflowers came to me. One year, a tall sunflower plant grew at the edge of my front yard. From that one plant, the flowers spread out to fill the space beside my driveway and along the front curb.

The nemesis of sunflowers is grass. Grasses grow too tall too fast, and the sunflower seedlings don't have a chance to find the sun. Managing the grasses does takes some weeding,. I have a long-running battle with rescue grass so the sunflowers can get a start.

But that's really it. All I do is make sure the seedlings can find the sun, then leave them to take care of themselves. I rarely water them.

They have a great trick of using dew. It collects on their stems and trickles down to the roots. So even without rain, if there's humidity and dew, they do fine.

True to their name, sunflowers require a lot of sun. If your flowers are volunteers, they’ll take care of that themselves. The ones with sun will flourish, the ones in shade not so much. If you are planting, be sure to take available sun into account.

Sunflowers are a great beginner plant for rewilding. They appeal to just about all pollinators, including bees and butterflies. I've even seen hummingbirds at my sunflowers. Many small birds feast on the seeds. It's the only time I get to see goldfinches in my yard.

Tip: If you use a lawnmower or string trimmer in your yard, you'll need to learn to recognize the seedlings and be sure not to cut them down.

Give those blooms a chance to get started, and they will do the rest.