Sunflowers as Privacy Wall

This is the year of the sunflower.

As in, since we had a beautiful border collie living in our backyard for three months, our garden has been totally rearranged and we have seeds of all sorts in brand new spaces, including but not limited to a crop of sunflowers you would not believe. Nor would you normally plant them where they are - eclipsing strawberries, tea roses, and assorted other plants residing in the kitchen garden.

But such is the exciting life in the garden when a four-legged furry canine youth conquers the great backyard.

At the beginning of spring, I mercilessly ripped sunflower seedlings from the strawberry patch/triangle herb garden. After days of this, I started wondering,

"What if I let them grow and they formed a privacy wall?"

Our backyard and sliding glass door in the family room peers directly into the backyard of the neighbor. I've had several great ideas for shielding and making a wall, all for the purpose of privacy, art, and garden decor. But nothing has come of those fabulous thoughts.

Sunflower wall blocking patio window and providing shade

Until the dog helped things along.

Now, in spite of losing several roof-height plants due to windstorms, we have a lovely, flower-ful bee-nectar-supplying private, natural, shade-providing wall. Finches and sparrows love it. Multiple varieties of bees work tirelessly from sun-up to sun-down, buzzing from flower to flower.

Sunflower wall from the inside, looking out

Shade wasn't a part of the original equation, but wow, what a perfect way to keep the sun at bay on hot summer afternoons!

Thanks, Magi, for the sowing of the seeds.