When you don’t mow and you don’t do much in the way of weeding, interesting things happen.

Wild sunflowers

Those wild sunflowers have been popping up in my garden and my backyard for a few years now.

The seeds are tiny and not worth harvesting but the blooms sure attract the butterflies. They actually look quit similar to Jerusalem artichokes but don’t set any kind of tubers.

There are probably 50 or so of them here and there around the back. They get to be about 10′ tall and have an exceptionally long blooming season. I find sprouts all over the place every February and just leave the ones that aren’t completely in the way. The ones that are in the way? I let get as big as I can before they drive me nuts, then I chop them down and compost them.

Anything that makes me free compost additives is welcome in the yard. Heck, I deliberately scatter pokeweed seeds everywhere for the same reason. The wild sunflowers are prettier, but even pokeweed is a fine-looking plant in my book.

Weeds are a resource. They’re gathering minerals from the soil that can be used to feed your other plants. Let ’em grow, then chop them down and toss them around the base of your fruit trees.

Win.