When I got home from work and plucked a summer squash and some tomatoes, the flower hadn't opened; two hours later, back from sushi, as I raised the shades and opened the window, there it was, brave and solitary. I raced out to it and admired it and kissed it and damn, it's not a real sunflower of the seed-bearing type so I hope squirrels leave it alone. I wasn't the brightest bear to plant it way in the back, where the tree--not a Tree of Heaven, despite its growing in the alley and my wanting it to be--shades too much. Also there's the creeping stuff--Virginia creeper? I'm not sure--that is growing up from the fence into the tree and that I haven't torn out, giving yet more shade. Next summer we'll have an additional bed, against the garage, with sun almost all day, for tomatoes and cucumbers and sunflowers. The original bed will be for crops I am not so in love with and also that don't need quite as much sun, like squash and beans, but I should still rip down a lot of the creeper.
This variety is the sort that produces several flowers per plant instead of just the one big one. I doubt I'll name the rest but this first one is Emily.