Rayless Sunflower Needs A Sexy Name

Black flowers always seduce us. I’m not sure why but there’s a mystery to them.  This one is a seductive garden plant for so many reasons.

Rayless sunflower in full flower in the fall.

It also has sway. It bends and bounces and moves like a pendulum but it always stands right back up.  Rub your hand across it and it bends down.  Then boing! I love a plant with sway.  Even the wind causes it to sway.

It last through winter. You know how they promote Sedums and such to stand up and add winter interest to gardens? But in the south Sedum Autumn Joy is long rotted by autumn and the idea of it with cute frost in January is nothing more than a nice idea in our warm climate.

Rayless sun flower gets to catch the frost and winter snow flurries.  In fact, it stands up, adding winter interest all the way into March.

Lastly, this plant makes a dense, solid ground cover of almost evergreen leaves that look like hairy hosta leaves.  And it does all this without irrigation — it loves sandy, doughty soil.  Here’s a little video we took near Okefenokee Swamp in late fall.