If you are lucky enough to have the beautiful Black Eyed Susan in your garden then you already know that they are a wonderful plant!  These plants offer beautiful green foliage and yellow flowers with a black/brown center. 

The version referred to here is the Rudbeckia fulgida, which is a perennial with a bushy habit and lots of flowers.  If you have a sunny area of your landscape where you wish to have blooms all season, this plant will fill that requirement.  It usually creates many stalks with numerous blooms from June until September.  One of the best versions of this plant is the Rudbeckia fulgida Goldsturm, a 1999 Perennial of the Year.

Those of us here at Nature’s Friends Landscaping are very familiar with the Black Eyed Susan so we can choose them for you and create a landscape where they will brighten your home.  They are wonderful planted in drifts so that they provide a big space full of color. After planting they do need regular water throughout their first growing season.  Then they should be fairly self-sufficient with regular rains, although if there is a drought they would certainly appreciate a drink!  Also, the flowering will decrease if they become very dry so the show they put on is much better if you keep them moist.

One of the beneficial aspects of this cheerful plant is that they are prolific self sowers.  This means in the fall as the seed heads dry up the seeds fall down into the soil and create new Black Eyed Susan’s the next spring.  So you can dig those up, or we can do it for you, and transplant them to other spots around your yard.  In addition you could share them with friends and family so they will have Black Eyed Susan’s in their landscapes too. In addition the original clump will grow bigger so it can be divided and split into several plants.

Another fun benefit is these cheery yellow flowers attract butterflies and goldfinches which feed on the seed heads.  You will provide sustenance for your wildlife by planting this wonderful flowering perennial.