Mystery plant appeared in the garden this year

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I had this wild section of the front lawn, waiting for the time when I would install a third garden bed.
As spring was hiccuping into life, a plant appeared that towered above all the other weeds and grasses.



It looked a bit unusual so I decided to leave it be. I had to clear around it in preparation for the new garden bed.



After watching this thing grow to head height,  the head expanded, and unfold to form a sunflower.

  


I was forced to arrange the sleepers for the new garden around the visitor. I was lucky that it sat right in the middle of the future bed.





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Coincidentally, this was the year I received a promotional gift in the mail from a local real estate agent. A packet of sunflower seeds.



I planted the seeds along the driveway.
below is the difference between the visitor and the seeds I planted...

  

I'm pretty impressed with how resilient this things are . We have had some big winds this spring that have flattened a lot of other plants  in the garden . This thing just keeps towering over everything.

As of this weekend the visitor is looking very heavy. I have a paper bag ready to collect the seeds



The packet seeds are starting to bloom. They seem to be a bit smaller then the visitor, but that could be due to crowding.


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