I love all plants. 🙂 My yard doesn’t have a lawn but a mish mosh of wild growing plants and some I think that sprouted from bird seed I put out for the birds. Thankfully where I live no one says anything about my odd looking yard. 😛

Sounds like you have a special need and affinity for them. Enjoy!

Thank you Jim. 🙂 I don’t mind the ragged. That photo was actually from last year. I am keeping them watered currently since we haven’t had rain in a good while. 🙂 I love the sticks they leave when they die off. I have saved several to use as plant stakes etc. I also take some of the sticks and work them into my clay sculptures so these plants are definitely very useful. 😀

Thank you so much Laura. I will definitely check those out. 😀 Especially if they will also attract bees and hummingbirds.

Laura’s suggestion is a good one. The ragweed already is looking pretty ‘ragged’, and will only get browner and sparser, and nothing but sticks in the fall and winter.

Sorry, this is the “Link”. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/zipbyzip.php?zip=78667

Oops! here’s the link! http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/114737/

Great job Jim! Appreciate the feed back Heidi! If privacy you desire, there are plenty of other flowering plants some with leaves that stay green in the winter in your 8b zone ((Texas USDA Hardiness Map). Some of these are: Bottlebrush shrub or tree size can grow up to 15 feet, leaves are evergreen. Texas mountain laurel-multi shrub or small tree with purple blueish flowers, leaves are evergreen- can grow from few feet to 30ft. With the hibiscus group you numerous choices, some are reseeds type, others are root hardy: Turk’s cap (Malvaviscus arboreus) 6-8ft, Texas star hibiscus, even taller the Confederate rose, Angel trumpet, etc… Just click on any plant listed on the link below to check them out. Best wishes Heidi!

Thank you Laura. These never have flowers though I wish they were the hibiscus. I love those flowers. I think Jim is correct and they are great Ragweed. I have noticed them growing all along the roadsides here as well and some are twice as tall as mine. I may end up moving soon someplace further out but I know eventually the developers will reach there too and build something so I want to make sure I can plant these around the perimeter of my property to keep out nosy eyes. 😛 The house/yard I have now they just sort of sprang up on their own each year and I was thankful because now the apartments across the street can’t see into my yard.

Yeah, really can’t see the leaves at all. But the height and general growth habit suggest Great Ragweed to me.

Could you make a new post with a close up of the leaves? Until then, for now I’m taking a wild guess. Maybe Monarch rosemallow (Hibiscus radiatus)? Best wishes! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_radiatus