Rose Moradian talks about Black Eyed Susans.
Black Eyed Susans are native to American prairies and to me symbolize the beauty and toughness of this land. The medicinal Echinacea is a close cousin. They are known for their long flowering times, from June to December. They are EXCELLENT cut flowers.
It takes 9 months from seed to bloom and they bloom for so long, so they are considered a long lived annual. They can be perennialized in a not too wet garden over the winter with snail protection. They look so small when you plant them at first! In Wendy’s Garden they get to be 4′ tall, which is middle height in her garden as some plants get to be 9′ tall, of which I will write about in future posts. There are several colors to choose from; “Indian Summer” has a subtle ring of reddish brown in the middle.
There is even a Green Eyed Susan which gets as tall but is second choice for form. You can see excellent examples on line at Annies Annuals, which is where we get many of Wendy’s plants for her garden. Snails love to eat the young and vulnerable plants, so always use snail bait around them. I recommend Sluggo. Black Eyed Susans do well in a well drained garden with a deep watering weekly.
Fertilize lightly with fish emulsion weekly. Rudbeckia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, so its not surprising that you’ll find butterfly caterpillars munching away on them. Another wonderful warm toned cut flower is Coreopsis tinctoria; “Calliopsis” or more commonly, “Tickweed”. As you can see, this plant gets tall, around 5′ in Wendy’s garden and though it takes up space its quite airy, so it gets attention without being too enormous and dense.
We have another type of Coreopsis in the garden that is 8′ tall, that will be another post. Too many present day hybrids are made to be dwarf, so having these wildly tall flowers is a step back into what nature intended flowers to be; Grand! Incredibly long blooming, from June till Fall, Coreopsis abundantly produces vivid yellow Cosmos-type flowers with wine red centers on long wiry stems which move with the wind. This plant loves dry soil and no feeding. It also reseeds readily.
I have this growing at the Lafond Vineyard Vegetable garden as well. Both do well in bouquet mixed with other flowers such as Crocasmia and Roses, both of which I will blog about soon. One of the many pleasures of Wendy’s Garden is the making of the bouquets for her pleasure. It is a tremendously satisfying experience for me and Wendy to grow, maintain and create these great arrangements.
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