Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Monday - July 06, 2009
From: Lake Ronkonkoma, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Compost and Mulch, Propagation, Transplants, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Dividing blackeyed susans in Lake Ronkoko NY
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
How are you supposed to divide blackeyed susan's? And when is the best time to do this?ANSWER:
The only plant we found with the common name "Blackeyed Susan" native to New York is Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (blackeyed Susan). According to the information in our Native Plant Database, this is a biennial, which may perennialize if it's happy where it is. So, we're going to go on the assumption that your plants are happy, and suggest you divide them in early fall in your climate, preferably after the first cool nights, but when the soil is still warm. The plant will be going into dormancy then and won't be quite so subject to transplant shock. You can spend some time between now and then preparing their new home, possibly adding some compost and working it in to improve drainage and to help make trace nutrients in the soil more available to new roots.
We found an excellent website by Fine Gardening, 10 Tips on Dividing Perennials, which gives you information in a much more organized form than we could.
More Propagation Questions
Transplanting adventitious shoots of a mountain laurel in San Antonio
August 20, 2009 - Is it possible to transplant branches (shoots) growing from a mountain laurel that was chopped down? Some are two years old and several feet tall (but not yet blooming) and some as small as a foot. ...
view the full question and answer
Transplanting Mexican bonebract in Floresville, TX
November 12, 2008 - My kids and I finally identified a small plant that we found growing in our pasture. There was only one and it is lovely. It is the Mexican Bonebract. What I am interested in finding out is how to tra...
view the full question and answer
Can Crataegus viridian be grown in Houston, TX?
June 21, 2015 - I am looking to plant Crataegus viridis (species or cultivar "Winter King") at a location in full sun in Houston. Many places I've found online say that it is hearty through Zone 9, but others have...
view the full question and answer
Growing non-native lettuce under artificial light from Washington NY
April 15, 2012 - Which artificial light( UV LIGHT, FLUORESCENT LIGHT AND INCANDESCENT LIGHT) makes a lettuce plant grow the fastest over a time period of 3 weeks and what would be your variables( independent, dependen...
view the full question and answer
Removal of pups from Century Plant after blooming in Prairieville LA
October 03, 2009 - Will the main part of the century plant always die after it grows a stalk? I have babies coming off the base and need to know if I should separate them to keep them alive.
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |