The showy garden rudbeckias that brighten summer and fall borders are descended from wild plants native mainly to the eastern U.S. All are tough and easy to grow. Blossoms have yellow or orange rays and a raised central cone. They make good cut flowers; cutting also encourages rebloom late in season. Divide perennials when they become crowded, usually every few years

Rudbeckia hirta

Biennial or short-lived perennial; often grown as an annual because it often blooms the first summer from seed sown in early spring. Grown as a winter annual in Zones 12, 13. To 3–4 ft. tall, 1 1/2 ft. wide, with upright, branching habit. Stems and lanceshaped leaves to 4 in. long are rough and hairy. Daisylike, 2–4-in.- wide flowers have orange-yellow rays and a prominent purplish black cone.