On the edge of my NYC terrace there’s about a foot-wide stretch of gravel with maybe 1/4 of an inch of soil mixed in with the rocks and pebbles. I think it’s for drainage (although maybe it’s just aesthetically pleasing).
I’ve long had an admiration for the weeds that simply sprout up on my roof, mostly in the corner of an empty pot but occasionally on gravel edge.
Through some combination of curiosity and sloth I let one particularly aggressive weed grow and grow and grow…wondering just what would happen.
And then on my birthday it bloomed, revealing itself to be a sunflower!
I certainly didn’t plant it there.
The most likely explanation is that a bird dropped a seed…or a tenant from three years ago did…
I’m just delighted and fascinated that sometimes when you allow a “weed” to have its day, it turns out to be something quite unexpectedly beautiful indeed!
