Hey @npub15879...kv0n do you have any experience with 
? I'm trying to find a perennial to build a privacy barrier, and also to generate compost. (The flowers are a bonus as pollinator attraction)
The problem is, I'm in Zone 8a like you, where Tithonia supposedly will die off completely in hard freezes.
I was also interested in pigeon pea, since that can even be for human consumption, but the hard freeze is a problem with them too.
Tithonia diversifolia - Wikipedia