Summer Means Sunny Flowers

Rudbeckia hirta in the late June raingarden.

My raingarden has been overtaken by Rudbeckia. I have a hard time objecting. How can you not love a billow of black-eyed susans spilling willy nilly and covered in bees? The first to bloom is Rudbeckia hirta in June, but now the Rudbeckia tomentosa and R. fulgida are coming into the fore. I have armloads of sunny flowers for cutting.

Rudbeckia tomentosa is just opening now.

Rudbeckias are Midwestern favorites for their long bloom season and easy personalities. They love the sun and aren't terribly picky about soil, but perhaps not too wet. I am charmed by their chocolate chip centers that look almost edible. I like cutting them for my desk when the flowers are newly opened. The tiny disk flowers open in sequence like a miniature golden tiara. Lots of pollen, but fascinating to watch the succession. Eventually, they will become seeds and the birds with snarf them down along with the coneflowers. In the meantime, I'm soaking in the warmth from about a hundred little miniature suns.