Black-Eyed Susan

Plant name: Black-Eyed Susan

Botanical name: Rudbeckia hirta ‘Indian Summer’

Suggested by: Lance Frazon, John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds (www.kitchengardenseeds.com)

Virtues: It’s a very easy to grow favorite that’s great in the garden and a wonderful cut flower, too.

Flower: Large (6 to 9 inches across) deep golden flowers with small velvety black centers.

Foliage: Dark green.

Habit: 2 feet to 3 feet tall.

Season: Summer.

Companions: Pair it with its sister black-eyed Susan, ‘Irish Spring’, which has green eyes.