Thursday, August 2, 2012

Black Eyed Susans

Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia)

are some of the most useful perennial landscape plants of them all.  

Susans are North America's most popular native plant. Their assets are many and their liabilities are few.
Rudbeckia flowers are clear, golden yellow, and a bit larger than the wildflower, but very much the same.  Each mature plant will produce a long-lasting bouquet of about two dozen of these beautiful flowers, even in the heat of mid-summer.

What's not to love? Her assets include...
  • Great flowers for naturalizing in a meadow garden,
  • Lovely planted in drifts, in formal beds or alone.
  • Perfect with variegated ornamental grasses
  • Excellent for cutting.
  • Black Eyed Susans are deer resistant (but remember a hungry deer will eat almost anything).
  • Plant in a border with marigolds around your garden for colorful, protective border (unfortunately, the groundhogs devoured our marigolds this year).

Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' is the variety of Black Eyed Susans sold at Woodbridge Greenhouses. Goldsturm was voted Perennial Plant of the Year for 1999 by the Perennial Plant Association.
Goldsturm could be the king of perennials. It is one of the most popular and widely-planted flowering plants in America. Developed in Germany in the 1930's, it's name is German for “gold storm”.
A storm of great features:
  • Grows to about 2-1/2 to 3 feet high
  • Blooms profusely from mid-July to October
  • Lush, dark-green foliage fills your garden until the blooms pop open in July.
  • Blossoms last several weeks
  • Flowers attract butterflies
  • Thrives in full sun, but can tolerate afternoon shade.
  • Does well planted in containers.
  • Brown, button-like seed pods add interest to winter gardens and attract birds in the fall.  
  • Will self seed if flower heads left to seed. 



Carefree Susans with few liabilities:
  • She is easy to grow and very low maintenance.
  • Let her branch out, give her about 2 feet from neighboring plants.
  • She enjoys an even layer of light mulch
  • Snip the fading flowers from her crown to encourage more blossoms
  • Once established, she can tolerate drought conditions
  • Few disease and insect will bother her.
  • Spread her joy and divide her after three years (optional).
My lovely groundhogs enjoyed a light snack of this Black Eyed Susan.

Poetic Name...
Legend says this flower's name comes from an OldEnglish, post-Elizabethan era poem called, “Black-Eyed Susan,” written by the poet, John Gay (1685-1732).  The poem tells a “Legend of Love” that these two wildflowers re-enact each summer.
"All in the downs, the fleet was moored,
Banners waving in the wind.
When Black-Eyed Susan came aboard,
and eyed the burly men.
'Tell me ye sailors, tell me true
Does my Sweet William sail with you?'"
Several stanzas follows and describe how Susan's William was “high upon the yardarm”, and descended for a fond farewell with his lady love.  He promised ardently to be safe and true and return from his trip on the high seas.
"Though battle call me from thy arms
Let not my pretty Susan mourn;
Though cannons roar, yet safe from harms
William shall to his Dear return.
Love turns aside the balls that round me fly
Lest precious tears should drop from Susan’s eye."
Enjoy Sweet William and Black-Eyed Susan planted together when they bloom together. 
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