Looks like a row of perennial sunflowers to me, perhaps Helianthus tuberosus, aka Jerusalem artichokes.

Agree. Dies to the ground each year - there will be no screening present during winter or spring, when the tops are either absent/dead (winter) or short (spring).

If these were actual shrubs there would be persistent, branching woody stems present.

You are both right. I drove by her house again today because dh and I are having water heater issues, and I needed to run out and get a heating element.

I saw her walking one of her beautiful horses and I slowed my car down and through the window i told her I loved what she planted, and she smiled and said they're sun chokes, and that they produce beautiful yellow flowers.

She's a very nice person. She said some people refer to them as Jerusalem chokes.

They provide a nice screen for her property right now, but knowing that they die back to the ground each year makes them less desirable for me, for that particular use, but I may plant them somewhere else in the yard. Thank you both for responding. I've never heard of sun chokes before.

And I assume you've never eaten them either ? :)

'Some people refer to them as Jerusalem (arti)chokes.....' that includes everyone in the British Isles. I'd never heard 'sunchokes' until I came to Garden Web. They're usually grown in the vegetable patch here.

While delicious, some folks find them difficult to digest.

Oh yeah Babs, I almost forgot that...been a number of years since I ate them. They remind me of water chestnuts with a slight turnip taste.

sounds like something that could be planted in front of a true shrub/tree border .. so that you have some immediate sight blocking .. while the other mature ..

then they could be removed ... round up takes care of everything like that ... BUT ...it sounds rather aggressive.. and if you wont rely on sprays.. then maybe it would be a nightmare to remove ...

sounds like you have a free source of plants.. if and when you want some .. horse trade some muffins for a couple ... see what i did there .. lol ...

ken

The wild sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) have been astonishing this yr -- everywhere: