Black-eyed Susan

As a complete beginner I was nervous about starting with Black-eyed Susan. It turned out to be more forgiving than I expected, as long as I paid attention to sowing directly into poor soil as rich soil encourages weeds. I grow mine in a wildlife pond margin planting which is working really well. na…

I've been growing plants seriously for over fifteen years and Black-eyed Susan remains a reliable favourite. For anyone starting out: the most critical thing is avoiding any fertiliser which would favour grasses over flowers. Everything else follows from that. annual weed competition overwhelming s…

People describe Black-eyed Susan as easy and I'd push back on that slightly. allowing plants to set seed before cutting at the end of season needs consistent attention and annual weed competition overwhelming slow-establishing flowers can undermine progress quickly if ignored. Where Black-eyed Susa…

I'd had Black-eyed Susan for about eight months with acceptable but unremarkable results. Then I started really paying attention to avoiding any fertiliser which would favour grasses over flowers and the difference over the next two months was dramatic. exceptional wildlife value for bees, butterfl…

Black-eyed Susan is clearly a great plant — I can see that from other people's results. Mine has been decent but not spectacular, and I think I know why. I underestimated the importance of sowing directly into poor soil as rich soil encourages weeds in the early stages and paid for it. annual weed …

I planted Black-eyed Susan primarily for ornamental reasons. What I didn't anticipate was the wildlife it would attract. self-seeding and naturalising without annual replanting seems to be particularly appealing to bees and butterflies during the main growing period. I grow it in a wildlife pond ma…

Here are my notes from twelve months of growing Black-eyed Susan: Spring: peak flowering from early to midsummer. This was the moment that confirmed the whole venture. I focused on scarifying or scratching the soil before sowing for seed contact during this period which set up the rest of the year.…

I've grown several varieties within the Black-eyed Susan family and have some observations to share. wide seasonal succession from spring to autumn varies noticeably between them, more than catalogue descriptions suggest. The care fundamentals are shared — allowing plants to set seed before cutting …

I'm a busy person and can't give every plant the attention the books recommend. Here's what I've learned about the minimum viable care for Black-eyed Susan. scarifying or scratching the soil before sowing for seed contact is genuinely non-negotiable — skip this and the plant declines noticeably. Ev…

I've been growing Black-eyed Susan for a full year now and want to capture what each season offered. peak flowering from early to midsummer was the clear high point — everything you're told about Black-eyed Susan at that time of year is true. But the plant has something to offer in every season, whi…