Thinning the 'Goldsturm' Brown Eyed Susans

There comes a time in all of our lives when we must part ways with the things we love. It is that way with my Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm'; which had gotten way too thick. They have literally taken over and I can't see anything but them so it was time to thin them. What a job!

This small raised bed on the back side of our chain link fence near the driveway made quite an impact in the summer. The problem is that the bed is all yellow and nearly all one type of plant. You can't even see the lavenders, daylilies, Mexican sage, or phlox can you? I hate to think plants and get rid of them or replant elsewhere (which means more gardens), but it had to be done.

Back in the spring when these guys were just coming out of dormancy would have been the best time to thin them out and allow room for their neighbors. Silly me, I reasoned the plants could fight it out and wow what a big impact all the brown eyes would have when they were in bloom! That was before I lost sight of my other plants and decided enough was enough. Out they came! The first thing I did was cut off all blossoms. I know it is sad but I think it will help spare the plant's energy if the blooms are gone. Then I began the process of dismantling this garden. The 'Goldsturm' is a very hard plant to dig out. The roots and plants were all joined and well entrenched in the garden. There was more than one casualty due to the separation of roots from plants in the removal but I comfort myself in the fact the plants left behind will bounce back better than if the plants had not been removed.
I learned a big lesson having to thin these plants. That lesson being to do it when they are small and to do it religiously so that they do not out compete their neighbors. While the mass of brown eyes is pretty I wanted more variety and textures in this garden bed. After I added a good inch of compost and turned the soil, I planted six 'Blue Hill' salvia, three Patrina scabiosifolia 'Nagoda', and one 'Immaculee' peony. Already in the bed were two lavenders, one Mexican sage, and last but not least, a few of the brown eyes. There is also a crepe myrtle growing in the bed and it will stay. You can bet I'll be pulling the excess brown eyes next spring before they get too big. I don't want to be caught with the brown eyes being too thick....

in the garden....