Willy-Nilly Gardeners

Every year I find sunflowers growing in my garden in places where I wouldn’t have chosen — perhaps planted by the resident squirrels who are a bit willy-nilly in seed placement. Sometimes I pull the volunteer plants out—most of the time I just leave them to grow and enjoy whatever happens.

This beauty was one of my favorites–classic sunflower perfection.

This sweet little sunflower stood only about a foot tall and looked like it had little sunflower ears.

This one stands in a little flowerbed opposite my front door with its handsome face pointing nearly straight up to the sky above. Good thing it has such a thick and sturdy stem, as its head is now heavy with seed.

Our resident squirrels seem to like planting sunflowers every year in nearly the same spot next to our front porch. Well, I suppose the nearby bird feeder could be to blame.

Next year, I plan to plant several annuals from seed, including zinnia, purple cleome, cosmos, portulaca and marigolds. I’m pretty sure our squirrels have plans of their own.