The Volunteers of the Year

Each year, I appreciate the volunteer tomato plant, dill weed and parsley.

Their seeds lie hidden under winter's snow until, under the spring sun, they sprouted and grew, often a little faster than the weeds.

Sometimes, I pluck them before they have a chance to mature. Other times, I leave them and spend the summer wishing they weren't growing in the middle of a row.

The volunteer garlic is already curing for winter -- and the onion has been sauteed and eaten with the planned spinach.

But one group of volunteers really outdid themselves this year.

I was late tending the garden this spring. When I found them, the sunflowers were a few inches tall.

So I let them grow and grow and grow.

They grew taller than the fence.

And then they bloomed, adding their sunshine to the morning sky.