Meet Little Henry Rudbeckia, for late-flowering food for bees
Let me introduce you to a variety of black-eyed Susan I adore – ‘Little Henry’. Standing at just 24” to 30”, it’s a petite version of the classic tall black-eyed susan, he has the most interesting rolled petals. These flowers are exquisite in flower arrangements and a favorite among bees. As summer starts to fade, that is when ‘Little Henry’ starts blooming, ensuring your garden has late-season color and food for bees too. I use this in low maintenance planting plans as well as those for gardeners. My photo was taken in October. Some native bees won’t visit this hybridized fancy flower because it doesn’t look like our native. Other bees are delighted.
Low-Maintenance Bee Feeding Perennial Plants with Showy Flowers
For those seeking easy plants, rudbeckia fulgida ‘Little Gold Star’ is your hero. These resilient mounding plants maintain a neat shape and, after a couple of years, accept less watering (not no watering!) . They pair well with the hardy spanish lavender, thriving in hot sun conditions while adding a continuous summer display that starts in July, like clockwork, ending in late October.
Rudbeckia ‘Herbstonne’ offers tall perennial perfection
At 4′ to 5′ one of my tallest favorite black-eyed susan is the rudbeckia laciniata ‘Herbstonne’. It’s a dramatic large flower with months-long blooming, perfect for sunlit spaces where it stands tall without staking. I can use it in part sun too but it will need staking or a big cut back in May to create shorter flowering stems that won’t flop. Who wants to stake plants? Not me. The flower is a knock out so check out this close up photo link.
These blooms transition beautifully from garden to vase, becoming part of my end-of-summer floral arrangement ritual.
Two Kinds of Black-Eyed Susan – Know the Difference for Best Results in Your Portland Garden
There are two main kinds: the short-lived biennials with their fuzzy leaves and long-lived perennials with smooth, shiny foliage. In the Pacific NW, the self-seeding biennials can be a gardener’s companion, popping up here and there and flowering more profusely than their perennial cousins. But if maintenance (pulling up seedings that planted themselves where you don’t want them), isn’t your thing, the perennial types of rudbeckia featured in this blog might be your best bet. The perennial forms also have consistent heights and appearance. Seed generated plants can be quite different from one another and are a good lesson in genetics. Remember Mendels peas?
Contact Me
Do you want a thoughtful planting plan focused design for color and visual satisfaction, or to feed pollinators and birds, or a low maintenance back yard to share with your dog that still feeds the bees? You can have beauty, low maintenance and pollinator friendly plantings, just ask us to create it for you. I return phone calls and respond quickly to contact forms.
