66K views · 584 reactions | One of my favorite easy-care perennials...

Rudbeckia maxima is an overlooked drought-tolerant native that can be found from Arkansas to Texas, growing in seasonally moist roadside ditches. Giant Black-eyed Susan can tolerate a wide range of garden conditions from very dry slopes to standing water. Large rosettes of soft blue-green foliage emerge in early spring. In late spring through early summer, the 7 foot tall flower stalks attract pollinators and impressed neighbors. After flowering, we leave the seed stalks as a delicacy for goldfi