Nothing says summer like big beautiful sunflowers! You must be patient and wait the entire summer but I think it is worth it to have the sunny smile of a sunflower cast on you! I know they are not worth much more than bird food but they seem to add an element of surprise that is needed late in the season. They don't require much effort and come in zillions of fabulous varieties. This summer I walked the perimeter of the garden and planted them here and there...by the chicken coop, the compost bin, the outhouse pretty much just wherever. Some didn't make it as I never actually made an effort to water them so they only survived in places that were suitable. They stand proudly over the garden and looking at them makes me happy! You can collect their seeds for next year and as long as they are not hybridized varieties you will have seeds for the same flowers next year!
