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Why plant it: This black-eyed Susan is head and shoulders above its peers. But it's not just the height (it grows up to 9 feet tall) that makes this plant worth having. Its leaves are almost 2 feet long and a frosty blue-green—strikingly different from other rudbeckias. Their size and shape earn the plant another nickname: cabbage leaf coneflower.
The stunning foliage contrasts nicely with the reds and yellows of other late-summer plants. Butterflies, specifically the American painted lady and large wood nymph, are attracted to the flowers, and goldfinches eat the seeds it bears after blooming.
Vital statistics: Giant coneflower grows from 5 feet to a neck-craning 9 feet tall (depending on your climate), with a 3-foot spread. It blooms in mid- to late summer. Native to South Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, it is hardy in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 5 to 9.
How to grow: All it needs are full sun and moist, well-drained soil. It thrives in hot weather, but it does not tolerate drought. You won't need to stake the stems unless the plant gets too much shade; then, the flowers droop.
