OK, since I gave an MVP award a few weeks ago, I thought it good to give an MVA to the Most Valuable Annual flower in my garden this year.

I’ve been growing Rudbeckias for a long time, and they seldom disappoint. There is a perennial variety (Rudbeckia fulgida), but it’s too orange for my tastes. I like the pure yellow of these annual ones. I think they might be Rudbeckia hirta, but I’m really not sure. I’ve often thought they seemed perennial, but I think now that they just reseed really well. They get a little tall and sometimes need staking or they’ll fall over. My favorite thing about them is that they bloom so long — from June till frost.

Runner Up: As I thought about my Most Valuable Annual, I almost said California Poppies. These are also a star performer in my garden, but they are earlier than the Rudbeckias, flowering from April to July, mostly. I still have some scattered blooms in my garden. I also have a lot of tiny seedlings that are sprouting and will survive the winter to flower in the spring. These do reseed quite well.