I first discovered this showy perennial Black-eyed Susan several years ago at a nursery where they were selling them as annuals and for fifty cents apiece.  I am not one to pass up a bargain, so I bought several, and I'm glad I did, too.  Not only is "Indian Summer" not an annual and, although often called a biennial, it hung around my garden for at least three years, and that's actually a pretty good run even for a perennial.  Showier (and more long-lived) than the species, "Indian Summer" has large, bright yellow flowers with a purple/brown central disk and blooms its head off from June until frost.  It is interesting to me that this received one negative comment in a gardening forum, and it is because it failed to return the following year for someone who planted it.  Come on!  That's not the plant's fault!  This colorful Black-Eyed Susan is ideal for borders, cottage gardens, and for naturalizing.  "Indian Summer" grows from two to three feet in full sun and well-drained soil in Zones (3?) 4-10.  Be sure to deadhead regularly to keep those blooms coming. 

Give them all something to talk about with Rudbeckia maxima, also known as Great Coneflower and Cabbageleaf. Growing from five to eight feet tall, this native wildflower has striking, blue/green cabbage leaf foliage (that's what sold me) and large, golden yellow flowers, each with a prominent, 4 to 6-inch central cone. Rudbeckia maxima should be grown in full or part sun and average soil. Zones 5-9. Quarts.