Flower of the Week: Black-Eyed Susan

Among the best border perennials available, the black-eyed Susan is a selection of one of our native North American wildflowers. It was designated the state flower of Maryland in 1918 and is the official flower/drink of The Preakness.  

The following post was submitted by  staff member Maggie Wiles.

Plants make a bushy, upright clump with a profuse display of brown-eyed, golden-orange daisies from midsummer through the fall. Seed heads have good winter interest and provide a food source for Finch. 

A terrific choice for mass planting, black-eyed Susans combine especially well with ornamental grasses. They are also excellent for cutting and attractive to butterflies.

A pleasant cottage-garden effect can be achieved by inter-planting black-eyed Susans with other native wildflowers, such as Russian sage, butterfly weed, Stoke's aster, and liatris.

Moist sites with full- or part-day sun are preferred by black-eyed Susans, but it adapts well to average garden conditions and is able to withstand moderate drought due to a lengthy taproot.

Considered a short-lived perennial, this fast-growing, free-flowering plant reseeds itself so that older, failing plants are, in most cases, replaced by their progeny.

So add a pool of summer sunshine to your garden with a massed planting of black-eyed Susans and be equally pleased when your feathered friends stop by to snack on the dead seed heads in the winter months!