The Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) grew 20 feet tall over the summer, but now that autumn is here, all but the uppermost leaves have died back. Standing below, the effect is kind of Dr Seussian, a forest of towering sticks with a few green feathers sticking out the top.
My Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) had grown tall and leggy in the shade of the trees in the upper yard over the past few months. It was basically like looking at a forest of sticks with flowers 15 feet in the air, so I whacked the plants down to a couple feet tall. Now it's like looking at a hedge row of sticks, but it'll be green and leafy again by spring. In the meantime, my wife has some nice [keep reading...]
This is a Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia). Native to tropical regions of Mexico, it grows and reproduces quite easily here in San Diego County. This particular plant is nearly 20 feet tall and produces a profusion of yellow flowers from May through September. After the bloom, I chop it back to about 3 feet tall and it spends the winter and early Spring re-growing.
