Rewilding My Lot

Two years ago I planted one Maximilan Sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani). Last year there was a small cluster that grew tall and gangly. The photo above was taken in October 2025.

This year the clump is larger and compact. It’s nowhere near its full height yet — in June 2026 the tallest plants in this cluster are still only about 4 feet.

This year I am going to try two things to make these plants more manageable in my small space. One is to tie a rope around the cluster to mimic the action of tall prairie grasses in this plant’s native setting. Those clump grasses, growing 4-8 feet tall, prop up the Maximilian sunflowers so they don’t splay out so much. Here’s my cluster tied around at just less than 2 feet off the ground.

The second thing I’m experimenting with is what is sometimes called the “Chelsea Chop,” where a plant is significantly cut down before it is fully grown to encourage shorter and bushier growth. This mimics the browsing of deer in the Maximilian Sunflower’s native setting.

I cut all the stems down to about 2 feet tall, so this is what the clump looks like after its trim. The pruned stems will be shredded and used as mulch.

Depending on how this cluster grows out, when it’s taller I may add a second rope to hold it upright.

Maximilian Sunflower is a perennial, unlike the other annual sunflowers that grow here. So if this experiment is a complete failure and I get no blooms at all, there will still be plants next year, growing back from the root system after the winter. If these sunflowers are going to expand at this rate every year, rather soon I will need to cut this clump back to keep it manageable.