The friendly Coneflower has been a perennial favorite in the United States for nearly a century. A native to North America, the Coneflower grows extremely well in our climate and offers an abundance of beautiful flowers that often invokes feelings that resemble childhood memories. This is a nice plant to have. It's an easy garden splash, and the psychic visual dynamics -- let's call it the flower's 'ecometrics' -- conjure certain more or less universal psycho-sensual responses in humans: it's a feel good plant.
The Black Eyed Susan
North American Coneflowers are well suited to areas where dry spells are common. This hardy plant can endure fairly long spells without water, but a thorough soaking once or twice a week during the summer season will make them especially happy and when they're really happy they like to produce more flowers. Give them a few feet to relax and get comfortable, they will come back year after year for carefree enjoyment. If you start by seed and you plant early in the spring, you might get flowers the first year. If you transplant started plants, expect a good display the first year, with even better flowers the following year. Be fairly rough with your Susans -- go away and leave them for days without care and they won't even notice you're gone. Secretly, silently, of course, everyone will be glad that every one is home, back in the garden. Everyone needs each other after all. It comes down to life and its enjoyments. Those are not black eyes, really.
