Black-Eyed Susans

This painting of coneflowers or black-eyed Susans came from my visit to a local wildflower farm where I enjoyed walking the property filled with all sorts of wildflowers. But, who was Black-Eyed Susan with her deep, brown eyes? I found out on americanmeadows.com that her story is one of the grand romantic tales of the wildflowers. And beyond legend, her name graces several of our most important and popular wildflower species.
Who was she? Well, no one's sure, but the legend says it all comes from an Old English poem of the post-Elizabethan era entitled simply, "Black-Eyed Susan," written by a very famous poet of the day named John Gay, 1685-1732.
All in the downs, the fleet was moored,
Banners waving in the wind.
When Black-Eyed Susan came aboard,
and eyed the burly men.
"Tell me ye sailors, tell me true
Does my Sweet William sail with you?"
There are several stanzas, explaining that her William was on board, "high upon the yardarm", and quickly scrambled down for a fond farewell with his lady love. It seems he was off to the high seas, but promised to remain true and return with the encouragement from Susan:
Though battle call me from thy arms
Let not my pretty Susan mourn;
Though cannons roar, yet safe from harms
William shall to his Dear return.
Love turns aside the balls that round me fly
Lest precious tears should drop from Susan's eye.
This poem tells one of the great "Legends of Love" in our wildflowers, and every summer even today, it plays out just as the poem describes and here's how:
Even though it's not a native, if you seed wild Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) with common Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), they'll bloom beautifully for you at exactly the same time, returning every other year. Both are basically biennials, and her gold flowers bloom simultaneously with his bright reds and purples. Gardens awash in golds, red, and purples!
Since Susan is a North American native, this tale tells us English colonists must have given the golden beauty her name when they arrived in the New World. It's believed that, like today, Black-Eyed Susans were probably across the North American continent from the beginning. Today, they are common in all 50 states and across Canada.
So, without knowing much about it, I was drawn to this native wildflower and it's symbol of encouragement. I hope it encourages you as Susan encouraged William.