Using Sunflowers As Bean Poles

For the past few summers I've been using Russian Mammoth sunflowers as my bean poles. It really works well too.
After preparing the soil for planting, I plant the sunflowers according to the seed packet on the back. In front of each row of sunflowers, I then plant my beans far enough so that they don't grow right on top of the sunflower, but close enough for them to vine around and climb once they start growing.
This method is much easier than looking for large tall, sturdy branches to stake into the ground.
Some of the benefits from using sunflowers as stakes are, more bees visit the garden and pollinate the bean blossoms, thus giving me a nice yield. It's also nice watching the birds come and feed on the sunflower seeds once they have ripened.