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The Pros And Cons Of Planting Sunflowers In Your Garden
By PAMELA SIEGEL
Sunflowers offer numerous benefits when planted in a garden. Their tall height can provide shade for nearby plants, and they are known to remove heavy metals from the soil.
Their big blooms attract bees, aiding in the pollination of other plants, and their seeds invite various bird species, including chickadees, finches, and cardinals, to the garden.
Sunflowers can be harvested for seeds for snacks and salad toppings or used as decorative cut flowers, making them a multifaceted addition to a garden.
However, planting sunflowers also comes with some drawbacks. They exude a chemical called allelopathy that can inhibit the growth of certain plants like potatoes or pole beans.
Their seeds might also attract unwanted animals like squirrels, and if those animals carry seed hulls, the allelopathic properties may kill grass in other parts of
the yard.
Additionally, their large heads can become a nuisance, falling over in windy areas. Also, the mess they leave at the end of the growing season can be difficult to clean up.