Black Eyed Susan, An All American Garden Performer

I can’t say that I have a favorite garden flower.
But I can say that Black Eyed Susans are ‘one’ of my favorites, especially in the mid-summer garden.
It lights up the garden with bright golden flowers that fairly glow.
The colors can range from a pure yellow…

…to an amber burnt orange

It blooms prolifically on sturdy fuzzy stems, with leaves just as fuzzy.
Tough as nails once established it will tolerate drought and still fill in fabulously.
Some blossoms are large and spread as wide as my hand.

Others are short and stubby but just as lovely.

This self seeding perennial/biennial is so diverse and easy that typically I don’t transplant.
I just let it self seed and dig up ones that grow where I do not want. 

I even have some that are double.

Others with just a blush of color at center

and some with more color at center.

They easily grow in the hard packed earth of the roadside and flourish.

They blend so nicely with all the other flowers and make my garden a bright spot in the neighborhood.

I confess to being a lazy gardener…
all of these are volunteers in my garden.

Not a one did I deliberately plant.
You can’t ask much more from a flower than they take care of themselves and give such a stellar performance.

Happy Gardening!