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Is it too late in the year to sow Black Eyed Susan seeds?

11 years ago

I have had a little birdbath garden for the past year with only two plants: a lilac and a butterfly bush. As you can imagine it looks a little meager. I have been growing about 7 Purple Cone Flowers from seed for a month of two now and I am going to transplant tomorrow. I would like to add some Black Eyed Susans to the mix but I am thinking that it is getting a little late in the year.

Would the seedlings do ok with the summer heat looming or would it be best to wait?

Thanks

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Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
being an optimist.. why not.. all you have to lose is some seed ...

and do harden off the seedlings first.. if you are taking them from indoors to outdoors ... they probably can NOT go straight to a sunny garden ...

ken
terrene
11 years ago
I assume you are talking about Rudbeckia hirta seeds? No, it's not too late. I have winter-sown these and they are hardy seedlings and sprout fairly early. I plant them out in May and usually have blooms by mid-July or so. You will probably get blooms later in the season instead. Also, some may act like a biennial and will likely over-winter and give you a good show next year. They like good drainage, and will tolerate some drought, but since this is a bird bath garden, it's easy to give them a shot of water when you're changing the water in the bird bath.

Just a note about bird baths (I am an avid backyard birder) - if you have cats or hawks that frequent your yard, bird baths need to be out in the open, where the birds are able to keep a good eye on predators that may be soaring or crouching behind a perennial. They also need some cover nearby to dash into in case a hawk attacks - a dense shrub is good.
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wilsocn
Original Author
11 years ago
Yeah they are rudbeckia hirta seeds. Actually they are from last year and I dont really know how long the seeds stay good but I will give them a try. I have been hardening off the coneflower seedlings for over a week now so they should be ready to go I believe.

The birdbath is also out in the open with plenty off nearby cover. That being said, I still still see Copper's Hawks trolling my yard from time to time.

Thanks for the advice!

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