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Black Eyed Susan

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Growing Black-eyed Susans

A popular native plant

Rudbeckia fulgida Goldstrum

Name: Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Height: 1-3 feet (30 – 90 cm)
Blooming period: Summer to fall
Exposure: Full sun to partial sun
Moisture: average to dry; drought tolerant
Habitat: dry meadows, prairies, open woods
Range: Northeastern, and prairie areas of North America

The Rudbeckia is one of the most popular of the native wildflowers.

Black-eyed Susans are a must in the meadow or prairie garden. It’s prolific, long lasting blooms – yellow with dark centers – and its ease of cultivation make it a rewarding plant. Although it’s often listed as a biennial, black-eyed Susan will behave as a perennial if it’s happy and an annual if it’s not.

Maintenance and Requirements:

Black-eyed Susan thrives in tough conditions – in sandy or gravelly, nutrient-poor soil and long periods of drought. Don’t supplement the soil with fertilizer or organic material such as compost before planting, as you don’t want the soil to be too rich. If the soil is too rich there will be few blooms and and weaker stems. Acidic to neutral soil, clay or sand are best for this easy plant.

Propagation:

Easty to start from seeds, which ripen in fall, or divide mature plants in early spring or in fall.

Good Companions:

Black-eyed susan looks great with almost any of the native prairie and meadow species, but it looks particularly nice with airy white flowers such as flowering spurge (Euphorbia corallata), Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), and with the brilliant orange butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), or the deep blue-purple of Delphinium exaltatum.

My own Black eyed susan plants (Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’) are planted near purple Salvia nemorosa, White phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘David’), and a Hosta Gold standard.

Related Species:

Brown-eyed Susans (R. triloba) has smaller blossoms, but they are more abundant than R. hirta, and the whole plant is bushier, with many branches. Sweet black-eyed Susan (R. subtomentosa) is much taller, to 6 feet (1.8 m). Green-headed coneflower (R. laniniata) is also very tall (3 to 8 feet /.9 to 2.4 m) and grows in the open shade of woodlands or in sun, blooming in summer.

Wildlife:

Nectar attracts butterflies and bees.






Souvenir de la malmaison rose

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Join Green Thumb Sunday
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Souvenir de la malmaison rose

Souvenir is a happy rose these days.

She’s putting out these lovely clusters of quartered roses. I love it.

Oh and they smell so lovely. She’s a small rose bush, but she’s fairly hardy for me during the long cold winters.

Like the bug hanging out too?

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Growing native Bee Balm

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Bee Balm Monarda Didyma

Description:

Striking red flowers that look like Jesters’ hats and last for weeks give this plant a slightly comical air. Its stem is square (characteristic of plants in the mint family) and its leaves are dark green, sometimes flushed with dark red. Quickly growing into a large, tall clump, bee balm is altogether a sturdy, colorful addition to the garden.

Maintenance and requirements:

Although bee balm prefers moist places in the wild, it can be grown in average moisture conditions in the garden.

Versatile in its light requirements, from partial shade to full sun, and also in its PH tolerance, from slightly acidic to neutral (pH 5.5 to 6.5), bee balm is very easy to grow. The only problem you might encounter is mold, which often covers the leaves in a whitish film, signaling that the plant is crowded and not getting enough air movement; divide plants every few years, and don’t spray eaves when watering. Deadhead to extend blooming.

Height: 2-5 feet (60 to 150 cm)

Blooming period: Early to mid-summer

Exposure: Partial shade to full sun

Moisture: Moist to average

Habitat: Moist woods, moist meadows

Range: North East – North America

Propogation:

Bee Balm is easy to start from seeds. Simply sprinkle seeds in pots or a bed in late fall or early spring (seeds do not need cold stratification). Or divide the plant in early spring, which is not only useful for propagation, but also helps keep the plant from getting too crowded in the center.

Good Companions:

At the woodland edge, plant bee balm with black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and woodland sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus).

Related Species:

Wild Bergamot (M. Fistulosa)

Wildlife:

Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds swarm this plant for nectar.

Misc.:

Also known as Oswego tea, because the plants were used by the Oswego Indians for a hot drink. Bruise its aromatic leaves for the scent of Earl Grey Tea.

I grow two of the hybrid species of Bee balm and I love them. Their care is exactly the same as that of the native species that I’ve described above. Enjoy!

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