Those fall seedlings were from some seeds that the birds dropped in a pail with a couple of inches of dirt in it. Possibly from the same season's bird started plants since I don't feed them during the summer.
Interesting side-note: I have a few Maximillian seedlings (about an inch and a half tall) that I noticed were pulled from the dirt one day. I didn't see much in the way of roots left on the stalks but I tucked them back in anyway, just to see what would happen. This was about 10 days ago, and they're still alive. They're growing under cover, but without supplemental heat.
So far, all of the sunflowers I've started are perennial types.
