treemigration:

sick-kicks-with-calopteryx:

treemigration:

kihaku-gato:

Me: Oh hey these companies sell perennial sunflower species maybe I should grow some-

Me Who Knows The Consequences of Growing Perennial Sunflowers:

https://prairieecologist.com/2013/08/14/sunflowers/

:O

Just to clarify, there are wonderful sunflowers you can use that are great it’s just important to not get carried away. I sometimes forget to look up issues known in my state for plants. For example, Common Sunflower, 

Helianthus annuus , Is considered a noxious weed in Iowa,  and the lower Sand Prairies of Michigan and Nebraska. I know it can be a problem in some areas of Ohio; but it is considered native to most states. It does take over gardens; but, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In Ohio, I get stoked to see it out n about running around on roadsides! So I will plant it in my street median between my sidewalk and yard. 

I usually consult this bad boy when weeding

 http://ohiodnr.gov/portals/0/pdfs/invasives/ohio-invasive-plants-r0400.pdf

Oh yes I have to agree; Sunflowers are a group of plants I absolutely adore and can be great plants, and aggressive plants are not necessarily bad either (they have their place like any plant).

The catch 22 for me is that I don’t have an appropriate place for something like the perennial sunflowers; Most of my gardens don’t have room for the tall space-demanding beasts (the last thing I need is a plant encroaching on the turf of my slower-growing perennials in the garden), and the wildish areas that I COULD plant them in I shouldn’t as they border agricultural lands which already have aggressive plant problems. Also knowing myself, I don’t maintain my gardens often; while it would mean that I can neglect the sunflowers, it also means I may not be necessarily there to weed/divide them when it counts to manage their strong nature.