Black-Eyed Susans [Rubeckia] in Jacki Kellum’s Garden
Several years ago, I wrote a post saying that I am a Black-Eyed Susan kind of gardener, and I suppose that is why I love native plants. That post begins as follows: “I have a very distinctive taste in gardening–it is a bit like me. My garden is natural and a bit untidy. It is loud–in a prayerful sort of way.”
I first discovered black-eyed Susans in a forest that surrounded my childhood summer camp, and from the time that I saw it, I loved it. After that, I began searching for this little bundle of gold. I especially love finding Susans growing in the wild. Fortunately, black-eyed Susans are easily cultivated, and you can buy them in almost every nursery that sells perennials.
Rudbeckia or Black-eyed Susans are one of several native flowers in Mississippi.
“Native plants occur naturally in an area and are adapted to the local soil and climate conditions, making these plants a low-maintenance option. They typically do not require as much fertilizer, insect and disease control, or watering as non-native plants growing in the same area would. This makes them easy to grow and less expensive to care for.
“Another major advantage of having native plants in your landscape is how vital they are to pollinators. Pollinators move pollen from one plant to the next, helping fertilize plants so they can reproduce. Native plants provide an excellent source of food and shelter for critters such as bats, bees, beetles, birds, and butterflies. They’re also beneficial for wildlife in the area, providing food and shelter!
“Coneflower, coreopsis, blue phlox, native azalea, cinnamon fern, multiflora rose, butterfly weed, blue flag iris, milkweed, bee balm, and aster are common native plants found in Mississippi.” – Mary Michaela Parker, Mississippi Agriculture Extension Service
Image Credit: Common Native Roadside Wildflowers of Mississippi MDOT
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) – Image Credit Wikimedia Commons
Height – Up to 3′
Bearded beggarticks (Bidens aristosa) – Image Credit Flickr
Height – Up to 5′
Giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) – Image Credit Wikimedia
Height – Up to 6.5′
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) –
Image Credit American Meadows
Height – 2′ – 4′
Coreopsis grandiflora-
Image Credit North Carolina Extension Service
Height – 2′
Coreopsis lanceolata –
Image Credit American Meadows
Height – 4′
Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
Image Credit High Country Gardens
Height – 1′ – 3′
Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus augustifolius)
Also called Swamp Sunflower
Image Credit Wikimedia
Height – 5′ – 8′
Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum)
Image Credit Prairie Moon Nursery
Height – 3′ – 10′
Bitterweed (Helenium amarum)
Image Credit Missouri Botanical Garden
Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)
Image Credit: J. Parker’s
Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)
Image Credit: Woodie’s Garden Goods
Image Credit: Bob Tyler Fish Hatchery
Image Credit: Bob Tyler Fish Hatchery
Image Credit: Common Native Roadside Wildflowers of Mississippi MDOT
Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris)
Image Credit: Gardenia.net
Ironweed (Veronica gigantea)
Image Credit: Gardenia.net
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Image Credit: Wikimedia
Prairie Phlox (Phlox pilosa)
Image Credit: Gardenia.net
Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata)
Image Credit: Monticello Shop – Thomas Jefferson’s Garden
Blue Flag Iris (Iris virginica) Southern
Image Credit: American Meadows
Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)
Image Credit: Wikimedia
Blue Violet (Viola sororia)
Image Credit: New Jersey Native Plant Society
Morning Glory (Ipomoea cordatotriloba)
Image Credit: Gardenia.net
Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium ‘Lucerne
Image Credit: Woodie’s Garden Goods
Lyreleaf Sage (Salvia lyrata)
Image Credit: Wikimedia
Pickerel Weed (Pontederia cordata)
Image Credit: Bonanza
Virginia Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)
Image Credit: Native Wildflowers Nursery
Image Credit: Common Native Roadside Wildflowers of Mississippi MDOT
Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Swamp Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos)
Image Credit: White Flower Farm
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Image Credit: White Flower Farm
Spotted Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum)
Image Credit: Johnson’s Nursery
Pink Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosus Rosea)
Image Credit: High Country Gardens
Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
Image Credit: Blazing Star Gardens
Image Credit: Common Native Roadside Wildflowers of Mississippi MDOT
Prairie Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron strigosus)
Image Credit: American Meadows