Sawtooth Sunflower

Year-round

Sawtooth sunflower is a tall, sturdy perennial that comes back bigger every year around Cleveland. Give it full sun and steady moisture, and plan for its height so it stays upright and tidy near the curb.

• Establishment: water a new plant deeply once or twice a week through its first summer so the roots settle in before Cleveland's cold winter.
• Watering once established: it likes moist soil, so give it a deep soak during dry weeks, but it does not need daily watering.
• Height control: this plant can reach 6 to 10 feet, so cut the stems back by a third to a half in late June or early July to keep it shorter and less likely to flop.
• Common mistake: rich, loose soil makes it shoot up too fast and keel over, so hold off on heavy feeding and cut it back at midsummer instead of staking a giant.

Fall

Fall is bloom time and seed time. You can deadhead spent flowers to keep the front bed looking neat and to slow how much it self-seeds around the yard.

• Snip off spent flower heads through September and October if you want a tidier look and fewer volunteer seedlings next year.
• Leave some seed heads standing if you want to feed goldfinches and other birds into late fall.
• Watch for new seedlings popping up nearby, and pull the ones you do not want while they are small and easy to remove.

A quick fall deadheading and a pass over stray seedlings reads as intentional upkeep and helps a front-yard planting avoid looking overgrown, which is what draws a violation letter.

Winter

This plant is fully hardy through a Cleveland winter and needs almost nothing. The only real choice is whether to cut the dead stalks down now or leave them for winter interest and birds.

• For a clean, intentional winter look near the street, cut the dead stalks down to a few inches after they brown out in late fall.
• To help wildlife, you can leave the stalks and seed heads standing over winter and cut them in early spring instead.
• No winter watering or mulching is needed, since the roots are cold-hardy well below Cleveland's typical winter lows.

Cutting the browned stalks down for winter gives the bed a deliberate, cared-for silhouette, which keeps a front yard reading as intentional rather than neglected during the bare months.

Spring

Spring is for cleanup and a fresh start. Cut last year's dead stalks to the ground once hard frost is past, and give the new shoots room and moisture as they push up.

• Cut any old stalks you left standing down to a few inches once the danger of a hard freeze passes, usually mid to late April in the Cleveland area.
• Pull competing weeds around the crown early so the new shoots get full sun from the start.
• If the clump has gotten wide and crowded, early spring is the time to dig and divide it before growth takes off.

Summer

Summer is when this plant races upward, so this is the season to keep it from getting too tall and floppy. A midsummer trim now saves you from staking a 10-foot stalk later.

• In late June or early July, cut the whole plant back by a third to a half so it branches lower and stays sturdier through Cleveland's summer storms.
• During dry stretches in July and August, give it a deep soak, since it prefers moist soil and will wilt in a long drought.
• If a tall stem still leans, tie it loosely to a stake rather than pulling it tight, which can snap the stem.