Nothing defines the cottage, meadow, or wildflower garden as distinctively as Rudbeckia, and this underused species is among our very favorite for an abundance of bright, long-lasting, wonderfully profuse flowers. Officially beginning its bloom in midseason, gardeners in warm or short-spring climates may find the buds popping open before spring is over, and all gardeners will be graced by these blooms long after the autumn weather arrives. No simpler to grow nor more beautiful perennial exists, and anyone with a patch of sunny soil left unplanted should begin a stand of brown-eyed Susans at once!
The 1- to 2-inch blooms are daisy-shaped, with overlapping golden petals that turn out and slightly down from around raised dark brown cones. Butterflies and bees adore them in summer, while birds save their visits for autumn, when the seeds dry out in those giant cones. The flowers arise on strong but flexible stems, making them a mainstay of the daisy-chain set, and are quite long-lasting in garden or vase. The fuzzy central cones open black, maturing to chocolate brown, and make fine everlastings for winter arrangements. They also look good left on the plant after autumn has turned to winter, bobbing in the breeze and offering a late-season snack to passing wildlife.
R. triloba is a bit shorter and wider than the more familiar black-eyed Susan (R. hirta), reaching just 2 to 3 feet tall (in bloom) and not quite as wide. It is a short-lived plant, but sets seed so faithfully each year that you will find it not only "lives forever," but colonizes the available space with magnificent sweeps of color. Deadhead the first few flushes of bloom for quicker reflowering, but otherwise little maintenance is needed for this splendid native. Found on the prairies of the eastern and midwestern United States, this plant is tolerant of heat, humidity, drought, and a wide range of soil types. In other words, brown-eyed Susan is determined to make itself at home in your sunny garden. Why deny it? Zones 4-8.
