I enjoy watching this plant almost as much as the goldfinches love eating the seeds in fall. Rudbeckia maxima is sometimes called Giant Brown-Eyed Susan because of the flowers and sometimes Dumbo's Ears because of the leaves.
It's about 6'-7' tall in my garden. Blooming in June/July. The seedhead stays on into winter. Goldfinches will latch onto the stem and get the thing swaying from side to side as they snack on the seeds.
I wouldn't call it Dumbo's Ears, but I see why others would.
The large size of the leaves tell you that this plant evolved someplace with plenty of moisture. Like moist piney woods of Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma.
However, normally, plants with a bluish-green tint caused by a coating of wax are from areas with droughty summers. Below, the water is beading up due to the waxy coating. You can see the underlying green of the leaf where I rubbed the wax off with my thumb.
So this perennial--also called a coneflower--can take a surprising range of wet and dry conditions. I suspect that the areas it evolved in are wetlands that go through periodic droughts.
Some sources say it's deer-resistant--deer (aka long-legged rats) tend not to like waxy leaves (think about how that would feel to chew). Other sources say it's not deer-resistant. I think that many plants that are unappealing to deer, become deer food when their numbers are too high and they are forced to eat whatever is out there due to hunger.
A great garden plant as an accent or in masses. Divides well in late summer. Not evergreen. doesn't need a lot of fertility or watering when established.
Maybe this plant should be called Leggy Brown-Eyed Susan.
Comments