As a plant, my very existence is fueled by the sun. The process of photosynthesis, which occurs within my leaves, is the engine that drives all my growth, including the production of my vibrant flowers. If I am planted in a location that receives less than six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day, my energy production becomes limited. I must make a difficult choice: do I allocate my scarce energy reserves to simply surviving and maintaining basic leaf function, or do I invest a large portion into creating a few, large, showy flowers? Often, survival wins. The result is that I may produce more numerous but smaller flowers, or fewer flowers that are also small, as a way to still reproduce but within my constrained energy budget.
My roots are my mouth, my anchor, and my storage unit. When I am planted too close to other plants, or when my own clump has become excessively large and dense over the years, a fierce underground competition begins. The root systems become tangled and must compete for essential resources like water and nutrients (particularly phosphorus, which is vital for flowering). If I cannot drink enough water or absorb enough nutrients from the soil, I become stressed and nutrient-deficient. This stress directly impacts my reproductive display. Creating a large, robust flower requires a significant investment of resources. Without them, I can only muster the energy to produce smaller, perhaps paler, versions of myself.
The soil is my pantry. While I am a relatively adaptable plant, I still require a balanced diet to look my best. If I am growing in soil that is exceptionally poor, sandy, or depleted of nutrients, I simply lack the raw building blocks needed to construct large flowers. Nitrogen is crucial for green, leafy growth, but an overabundance of it can actually be counterproductive. It signals to me that I should focus my energy on producing more leaves and vegetation at the expense of flower size and quantity. A lack of phosphorus, the key nutrient for blooming, directly limits the size and number of flowers I can produce. I can only work with what my roots can find.
My growth is intimately tied to the conditions around me. Periods of extreme heat coupled with drought are incredibly taxing. Without adequate water, my systems begin to shut down to conserve moisture; flower production is often one of the first luxuries to be scaled back. Similarly, a sudden and significant lack of water, even for a short period when flower buds are forming, can cause me to abort their full development, resulting in smaller blooms. Furthermore, if the overall seasonal weather has been cooler than usual, my metabolic processes slow down. Everything, including the development of my flowers, can be delayed and potentially reduced in scale.
It is also important to consider who I am. There are many different cultivars and varieties of Black-eyed Susan. Some are naturally bred to have very large flowers, while others, particularly species closer to the wild form, are genetically predisposed to have smaller, though often more numerous, blooms. Please ensure you know the expected potential of your specific plant. Additionally, if I am a perennial type, my first year is primarily dedicated to establishing a strong root system. The flowers I produce in that first season are often smaller as my energy is focused underground. I am building strength for a much more impressive display in my second year and beyond.
