Here are two more very pretty native plants for your landscape.

Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) are everywhere right now. They are a native wildflower, members of the Aster family. They look a little like daisies and come in a wide variety of patterns. The petals are mostly yellow and some varieties have different patterns of brown spots and patches.

They’ll grown just about anywhere and can tolerate the full sun. They provide nectar for insects and seeds for some birds. The Native Americans used the root for a tea which had medicinal purposes.

Black-Eyed Susans

The second native I have today is a Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii). This grows as a shrub in the landscape and gets about 3 feet high, although some can get as high as 9 feet. These are growing in a planting area along an east-facing side of a house. They get full some in the morning and some sun until early evening.

You can see the small, red flowers, but they’re mostly hidden by the large leaves. It looks like they’re trying to hide. They will definitely attract hummingbirds to your landscape and they also provide food for birds and small mammals.

Turk’s Cap

Here’s a close-up of a young flower. I like the spiral shape formed by the petal edges as the flower unfolds.

Turk’s Cap Young Flower

Older flowers grow a spike from the center and it makes the flowers look like a turban, hence the name.