Native Sunflowers

The Native Sunflower can be found along road-ways, in vacant lots, growing wild where ever the birds drop it's seed, it especially likes clay soil, and can be found growing in my garden.

 

 

 The sunflower

smiles down upon my cabbages. 

 It spreads it's roots among the cucumbers and stretching out it's leaves,

 it shades the tender vines. 

 It shares it's seeds

 with the many birds that eat

 the bugs munching on the crops at the farm.

The sunflower seeds we enjoy eating today came from the lowly wild, native sunflower.

  Through selective saving of seed over many, many years

 the size of the sunflower and seeds were greatly increased to what we now recognize as the Mammoth or Giant Sunflower..

Helianthus annuus

Helios is the Greek word for Sun.
Sunflowers prefer full sun and will grow in any soil,
 except one that is light and well drained.  They are very tolerant of heat and can get by
with very little water.

Let this flower have a spot in your garden.  It will reward you with bouquets for your table.  Provide shade for heat intolerant plants.  Attract bees that will pollinate your crops.  It will easily self sow for
future years.  And my favorite reason for letting the sunflower grow in my garden is simple,  "It makes me smile".