We have had a break in our company for a while, so I can return to the blog. And the subject today is tithonia (sometimes called Mexican sunflower).
The challenge was to hide a rather unsightly septic apparatus from the house and the casita. Sometime in the future, perhaps, when I am really hard up for a topic, I might write about the unusual septic systems in this part of the country--not now.
Suffice it to say that we wanted an attractive living blockade, so while thumbing through garden catalogues last winter I hit on the annual tithonia--which was a new plant to me. As regular readers will understand, the gardening solution to our problem needed to be 1) deer proof, and 2) able to withstand the heat of a Hill Country summer. From the catalogue description, and from what I could gather from the internet, tithonia seemed to fill the bill.
The results could not be more pleasing!
The plants are 5-7 feet tall and are full of bright orange flowers. The stand is attractive from the house and the flowers seem to appeal both to hummingbirds and butterflies.
Here is a closer view of these beautiful blossoms, which seem never to wilt, even on the hottest days:
And this closeup will show you what a stunning flower this is, with its strong upright stem (perfect for cutting):
Today I decided to deadhead the spent blossoms. Here are the seeds for next year's tithonia fence!
1 comment:
What a fabulous find! I'm going to put Tithonia on my list too.
If you'd like a year-round screen, you might think about bamboo muhley grass. Pretty and ferny looking but tough and deer don't eat it. Turns gold in winter.
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