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July 28, 2005
Black-eyed Susans
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The Black-eyed Susan is ubiquitous right now. Its Latin name is Rudbeckia, named for a 17th century Swedish botanist named Rudbeck. (Yes- we also thought that Linnaeus was the only 17th century Swedish botanist). There are 25 species of Rudbeckia, all of them native to North America, and the gaudy gold and bown flowers that we see in gardens are just sophisticated relatives of our familiar wildflower, known variously as Black-eyed Susan, Brown-eyed Susan or Gloriosa Daisy. The most frequently used variety in gardens is Rudbeckia fulgida var. Goldsturm, which means gold storm. Like many popular garden plants, Rudbeckia was discovered here in North America, taken to Europe, hybridized, and sent back to our shores, brighter and bigger. In the case of the variety Goldsturm, it was noticed in a nursery in the Czech Republic, developed in Germany, and then returned to us!
There are moments when we find the color of Rudbeckia a little strident and the plant overused, but not in the middle of a heat wave such as we have had this week. Rudbeckia stands up splendidly to crushing heat and humidity, and its intense yellow gold is more than a match for the mid-day sun. If you look around, most plants are drooping, and the tasteful pastels are washed out and sad, but the Rudbeckia looks as assertive and fresh as ever.
Posted by gardenguidenyc at July 28, 2005 05:29 PM