At the end of my drive, I have a small planter partially embedded in the ground. In it, I plant sunflowers and heavenly blue morning glories. This year, I added red-leaved cannas. I also planted scarlet runner beans and thunbergia. Rabbits devoured those even with the fence. But the sunflowers, morning glories, and cannas survived.
To supplement the soil in the planter, I added some purchased compost. Usually, that’s a safe thing to do. Sometimes, though, I have gotten bonus plants like Ranunculus sceleratus (blistering buttercup) and Oxybasis glauca (oak-leaf pigweed). Not that I minded.
This year, Abutilon theophrasti (velvetleaf) came with the compost. Not that it bothers me. I have always found this tropical annual fascinating. Other people, like corn and soy farmers, would probably differ.
But I live far from big ag country. So this velvetleaf plant does not need to fear the sting of herbicides. Abutilon theophrasti, with its soft velvety, roundish leaves, their primary veins radiating from a central point, all connected by fine, parallel secondary veins, and branches tipped by tiny five-petaled orange flowers followed by enormous seed capsules, is welcome here if it behaves.
Not Very Far Away 