The seed catalogs are pouring in and I’ve already placed a few orders for next summer’s flowerbeds. I don’t want to do it, but I’ve decided I need to cut way back on the number of rudbeckias I grow.
I love rudbeckias. They’ve come a long way since the plain yellow flowers with a brown button. Now there are all kinds of wonderful cultivars like ‘Cherokee Sunset’, ‘Rustic Colors’ (pictured above) and ‘Chim Chiminee’ (pictured below).
I feel the need to surrender because the bunnies are “on to me”. I’m tired of watching helplessly as plants I’ve nurtured from babies since early March are sheered off to the ground only days after they’re planted in the garden in late May.
Or, worse yet, sometimes the bunnies lie in wait for a month or so. Then just as I’m lulled into believing “rabbits won’t be a problem this year,” I stroll through my flowerbeds and discover an entire row of plants missing. It’s unnerving.
I’m sure those pesky rodents will find something else to munch on in my flowerbeds if I don’t provide rudbeckias, but I’ll worry about that next summer.