Helianthus Annuus

It was just about a year ago this month that we were talking with the folks at one of the orchards that sells their bounty to us city slickers.  Ginger, being ever interested in plants, asked them about some plants growing by the side of the road.  They told us they were Helianthus.  We had never heard of them.

They explained that each year, sometime after the first hard freeze, they would cut the plants down to the ground.  In the spring they would sprout and grow to 6 - 8 feet and then, in the fall, produce an abundant number of sunflowers.  A very hardy plant with very pretty flowers.

They offered to split some roots and give them to us.  We accepted with the understanding that we would have to wait until after the first hard freeze, that would probably be November.

In November we returned and they dug up a plant and chopped the root ball into a couple of pieces. 
Tossing them in a box they instructed us to take them home, dig a hole, drop one of the sections in the hole and cover it with dirt.  In the spring when they sprouted make sure we watered them often as they liked "wet feet."

We did as instructed. Sure enough, to our happy surprise they sprouted in the spring.  Late this summer they started to develop buds then just about a week ago they started to flower. 

We are very pleased with this tough and beautiful Helianthus annuus.

The subject flowers are pictured center next to the back fence... Yea, the yellow ones.

I think this is just pretty as a picture... so to speak.

As it turns out, Helianthus Annuus is genus for any number of sunflowers.  Go ahead, Google it!

Whoohoo.