We all have those problem areas in our yard, where nothing seems to want to grow. You try different types of plants, grass, etc and nothing. The area between our driveway, the road and a fire hydrant has been a thorn in my side for years.
Until I tried this glorious sun loving, simple native plant. The Beach Sunflower.
You need room to grow these sunflowers. They do not reach high into the sky on long stalks, rather they stretch out across the ground in a vine form. The Beach Sunflower is a native, so I love that the bees and other pollinators are benefitting from my discovery. And what a discovery it is, just two plants have almost totally covered my problem area in just a few short months.
These plants need very little water. This area gets hot from all the concrete around it, and the sprinkler head doesn’t work well. No matter. These vines keep growing all the same.
The flowers reach up toward the sun and follow it all day long, like a sundial of sorts. I smile to myself every time I go get the mail, take a walk or pull out of the driveway. There is a whimsy to these bold yellow sunny faces. A good reminder that sometimes you can try too hard in the garden. You can get amazing results with simple solutions. Try a native and let it go so it can grow sunny side up. 🙂
