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[Retrograde]

18. Here in one of the more affluent Silicon Valley towns

front yard vegetable gardens are common (former governor Jerry Brown got a law passed that protected them): I know of one house that has a biggish corn crop growing between the sidewalk and the street. Many others have let the grass die in the dry months, or have gone for native plants or other low-water crops.

What's wrong with sunflowers? They're native to North America, and the state flower of Missouri's neighbor, Kansas.