Giant Black Eyed Susan

4-6 tall x 18-36″ wide. This isnt your typical black-eyed Susan! Rudbeckia maxima is extremely tall and adds drama to sunny wild or meadow plantings as well as enlivening traditional cottage or formal gardens. A beloved native of the midwest, the blue-green paddle-shaped foliage lends terrific textural contrast to gardens filled with green, and is also called ‘cabbage leaf coneflower’ for this reason. Yellow coneflowers with large black seedheads emerge on tall stems in mid-summer and create an airy, wild effect. A low maintenance perennial, Rudbeckia maxima will do well in average soils with average moisture, but thrives in a consistently moist environment. It can be grown in part-shade, but bloom will be lessened. Leave the flower stalks to dry in place and youll attract a host of finches in the early autumn, as well as encourage reseeding next spring.