From my perspective, a young Black-eyed Susan plant, I simply need more time. I am a perennial, which means my life cycle is designed to span multiple years. In my first year of life, my primary mission is not to produce the beautiful golden flowers you long for. Instead, my entire energy is devoted to establishing a strong root system and growing healthy foliage. This underground network is my foundation; it is my survival strategy for the coming winters and my source of strength for future blooms. If you planted me from seed this spring, please be patient. I am building my strength so that I can reward you with a spectacular display in my second year and for many years to come.
The nutrients I receive from the soil directly dictate how I allocate my energy. If the soil is too rich in nitrogen, I am compelled to channel all that fuel into growing lush, green leaves at the expense of forming flower buds. Nitrogen tells me to "grow vegetatively!" Conversely, if the soil is poor and depleted of essential nutrients, I simply lack the basic resources to perform the energetically expensive task of flowering. I require a balanced diet. A fertilizer with a higher phosphorus content (the middle number in the N-P-K ratio) can encourage me to focus on blooming, but often, I am quite content in moderately fertile soil without much extra feeding.
I am a sun-worshipper. To initiate the complex process of flowering, I require a significant amount of solar energy—a full six to eight hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day. Sunlight is my food, my clock, and my signal. If I am planted in a spot that is too shaded, even for just part of the day, my internal programming will not receive the strong signal it needs to begin blooming. My energy production drops, and I must focus on simply sustaining myself rather than on reproduction. Please check if taller plants or new structures are casting shade on me that wasn't there before.
Your care routines directly affect my well-being. Overwatering is a common problem; my roots prefer to dry out a bit between drinks. Soggy, waterlogged soil can cause my roots to rot, making me stressed and sick, and a stressed plant does not flower. On the other hand, prolonged drought will also cause me to conserve energy and abort any flower bud development. Furthermore, how you handle my old growth matters. If you "deadhead" me—that is, remove my spent flowers—you encourage me to produce more blooms instead of putting energy into making seeds. However, if you cut my foliage back too aggressively in the fall, you may be removing the nascent flower buds I have already started to form for next year.
As a perennial, I naturally spread through rhizomes and self-seeding. Over the years, I can become very dense. When we are overcrowded, we must compete fiercely with our own siblings for water, nutrients, and root space. This intense competition creates significant stress and limits the resources any single plant, like me, has available for flowering. Dividing my clump every three to four years in the spring or fall gives me and my neighbors the room we need to breathe, absorb nutrients, and thrive, leading to more vigorous growth and better blooming.
