When we think of sunflowers, we usually picture the giant, single-stalked annuals grown on farms, but Northern Virginia is actually home to several native, perennial wildflower varieties. One of the most common is the Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus), which thrives in our dry forests, rocky openings, and roadsides, pushing up bright yellow, daisy-like blooms from mid-summer through autumn. These native sunflowers are bushy, grow in multi-flower clumps, and serve as an essential late-season food source for local birds and pollinators.

Weeding in Northern Virginia during July is a race against our intense heat and summer humidity. Prolific summer weeds like crabgrass, purslane, and pigweed thrive in the baking sun, rapidly setting deep roots and shooting up thousands of seeds if left unchecked. Because the clay soils in Fairfax and surrounding counties can bake into rock-hard bricks under the July sun, the best strategy is to pull weeds early in the morning right after a thunderstorm or a heavy watering when the ground is soft enough to yield the entire root system.

Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) is one of the most destructive invasive weeds plaguing Northern Virginia’s roadsides, pastures, and agricultural fields. Originally introduced to the U.S. in the 1830s as a forage crop, this aggressive perennial thrives in NoVA's hot, humid summers, rapidly growing up to 8 feet tall and choking out vital native plants. It is incredibly difficult to eradicate because it spreads dual-proportionally: a single plant can produce tens of thousands of seeds while simultaneously expanding underground through a massive, stubborn network of thick rhizomes (creeping rootstems).