Rudbeckia

Rudbeckia, aka ‘Black Eyed Susans’

Black-eyed Susans appear with vigor in the New England landscape. From summer through fall, their recognizable dark cones surrounded by rays of cheery golden petals are popular for a reason.

This ‘common’ native delivers much-needed late summer through fall color and structure to our garden beds, as well as nourishing seed for our little goldfinches.

Designing with rudbeckia:

It’s so easy for perennial beds to end up dominated with pinks and purples. Rudbeckias come to the rescue in this situation with their structure, verticality and long-blooming yellow and golden flowers.

While the more typical (and shorter) ‘Goldsturm’ deserves a place in almost every garden, I am mad about the taller varieties that can hold their own with massive stands of agastache, amsonia and Joe Pye Weed.

For that extra ‘wow factor’, try rudbeckia maxima with its massive glaucous leaves and inflorescence that tower up to 7’ in the garden. And the cultivar ‘Little Henry’ with its upturned quill petals that bloom for weeks on end.

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