Black Eyed Susans for Summer Bouquets and For Growing!

January is seed sowing time at Springwell Gardens. And one of my favorites is Black Eyed Susan! It's funny to think that I am sowing seeds for summer blooms in the middle of winter.

And I got to thinking there may be a few other folks who would like to have a little summer growing in their homes too!

Black Eyed Susans are beautiful in garden inspired wedding bouquets and designs, but another thing about them is how easy they are to grow from seed.

I did an earlier post on growing flowers from seed- Growing Zinnias From Seed and a lot of the basics are the same. One difference though is the size of the seed- these are much smaller than zinnias and will just need to be pressed into the top of the growing medium. Another key for success for Black Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia by the way), is investing in a special light for growing. A good local source for the Raleigh-Cary, NC area is Garden Supply Company. These seeds should be started around mid February or earlier which means they will need a good indoor light source.

Growing flowers from seed is a great way to get a jump on the season and it brings a sweet breath of spring and summer to your wintertime! If you have any questions I would be happy to provide more information. And if you decide to start growing your own flowers from seed I would love to know!!!

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Black-Eyed Susans for Summer Weddings

January is seed sowing time for Rudbeckia or Black-Eyed Susan. This sunflower look-alike is quite easy to grow,

and will reward you with several months of golden yellow blooms that can really stand up to summer heat.

I grow them for the bride who wants truly garden-inspired designs that feature rich bold colors. My favorite variety is Indian Summer, but I also grow a green-eyed variety called Prairie Sun, (there's a few in the lower right corner of the picture above).

Black-Eyed Susan commands attention in mixed color bouquets such as the one above that also features Foxglove and Zinnias.

 And it also works well in a more analogous color palette as the one above that features golden Sunflowers, Spray Roses and Gerber Daisies.
Seeds can be ordered from Johnny's Selected Seeds.
This January batch should start blooming late May to early June. I will sow seeds again in March for blooms in mid- July. If you keep the flowers cut, plants should continue to bloom for about 2 1/2 to 3 months.

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Sunflowers and Black Eyed Susans for Elizabeth and Chris

Elizabeth loves the look of golden yellow flowers with brown and golden centers...

 

Gerber daisies and sunflowers, Viking mums and Black-eyed Susans.
And yes, she likes other golden yellow flowers as well- Babe spray roses, golden asters and yellow button mums.
White lisianthus and a froth of white Queen Ann's Lace for her bouquet and the bridesmaids added the finishing touch.

 The yellow and white color palette was carried through to the centerpiece designs with the addition of white hydrangeas and white spray roses and old fashion Shasta daisies.

 More flowers for the gorgeous wedding cake created by Jenny's Cupcakery

No flowers here... but what a fun sushi cake for the groom!!!

I'm so happy for this newly wedded couple

Praying God's blessing for you, Elizabeth and Chris, as you begin lives together!

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Peach Dahlias and Zinnias with Black Eyed Susans for Summer Weddings

Yes, it really is summer!!! I was lulled into thinking that the weather we had been experiencing earlier in July and June was summer weather- well that was wrong- so here it is the real thing, lots of humidity and temps in the 90's.
Good thing there are flowers that can take this heat. Flowers that actually like it, like Black-eyed Susans and zinnias and gomphrena.

 Here they are in a bouquet in soft and warm peach tones, golden yellows and orange and red.  Yes, these flowers are the epitome of summer.

This centerpiece also features zinnias, dahlias and Black-eyed Susan along with yellow stems of butterfly bush, orange crocosmia and orange butterflyweed.

Garden foliage abounds in the summertime- hellebore leaves, scented geranium, ferny stems from yarrow and stonecrop..

For textural interest add brown and orange discs from Black-eyed Susans and Purple Cone flowers as well as the flower cones from Bee Balm. 

These pieces are destined for a styled shoot by Swanky Elephant Planning and Design that will be photographed by Blest Photography.
  

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Summer Flowers- Bright Corals and Yellows with a Touch of Blue

The warm hues of summer flowers are cranking up in the garden- There are two varieties of Black-eyed Susan- Indian Summers and Goldilocks, coral and red zinnias, and some late flushes of feverfew.
There are still lateral stems of foxglove and Ammi blooming as well, and a small crop of Mountain Mint. I thought this arrangement looked so cheery, but afterwards I found some Delphinium stems I had meant to include as well...
So here is the same design with punches of blue... it really changes it up a bit, don't you think?
Next year there will be more Mountain Mint. It's a plant that I have loved for years, but lost a few seasons ago. I was thrilled to find it last year at the Farmer's Market in Raleigh. The botanical name is Pycnanthemum spp. To read more about it go: Beautiful Wildlife Garden
I love this soft green filler! It looks beautiful in floral design work and smells wonderful too!

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Summertime at Springwell Gardens

Well here it comes! Summer that is... I hear that we will be hitting the 90's tomorrow. I am trying to be upbeat about it since we have had such a mild start.
The garden beds have been doing very well. It has been so much easier with the new raised beds. I have been very pleased, and I am hopeful that the flowers will continue to perform well, even with the added heat.
Camelot Foxglove (see picture below) is still providing some lovely lateral spires. I have a wedding next weekend and would love to add these to the ceremony designs.
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) is starting to crank up- see picture below. Next year, I am just going to put a few plants into the mixed borders instead of one of the beds. They offer loads of flowers, but I could use more purples, plums and pinks and less golds and yellows.
One of several new additions to the garden has been Queen Ann's Lace (Ammi- See picture below). I am hoping this one keeps going for at least another week or so. We'll see- since I understand it likes the cooler weather.
Another newbie is Chinese Delphinium- Wow! just love the color. I believe this one will also melt with the warmer temperature, but I sure have enjoyed it, and plan to have more next year!

Needless to say, it's all about the flowers for me, but we also have a small patch for veggies too. Wilson is growing cucumbers, squash and tomatoes. We both have our eyes on these big boys, and plan to invite them to supper SOON!

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