…Rudbeckia, for being a garden workhorse. Have you noticed that some municipalities have converted to yellow fire engines (low on charm but highly visible and less likely to be involved in accidents)? All the vibrant members of the Black-eyed Susan or Rudbeckia family can be seen from down the block, hanging out in late summer on their bushy plants or in an arrangement, sometimes for weeks. Click here for a close-up of cut flowers. The hybrids have glorious names like Indian Summer, Prairie Sun, Maya, Chocolate Orange, Goldilocks, and Sonora, suggesting their palette of autumn yellow, orange, rust, and bronze. Except for the “common” Black-eyed Susan, which is decidedly perennial and almost invasive (in the best possible way), most of these varieties are short-lived perennials which bloom the first year from seed. They do come back the next year and start blooming earlier, but I don’t expect them to last forever. I start the seeds indoors and can count on every little plant to thrive in sun, part-shade, wet or dry, and even in the path of marauding deer. They’re like marigolds with personality.