Bird Watching: Daily Bird Pictures Vol. 461, 1 by Chillybean

Chillybean wrote:
Actually, he was picking off the greens. Some people complain that goldfinches eat at their plants.

The Maximilian is a native, that's why I planted it. I just checked and it is native to your state, too. It originally grew in the Tallgrass Prairie regions and restorations around us include vast numbers of this plant and it is just amazing! Mine have been blooming early the last couple of years. The usual bloom time is between August and September.

They spread by both rhizomes and seed. I found stray ones in odd locations, so those must've been from the seeds. They were just fine where they went, but I would think any in spots you do not want would be easy to pull while they are still small.

1. Here is the growth last summer from a full sun area. I put four dormant roots in the ground about three months before this. This year, that patch is not much bigger. I planted a dozen bare roots around the property, some did better than others.

But if you do plant any, make sure you have no intentions of moving it. I wasn't thinking when I planted some in a front flower bed. After the plant died down, I dug up the roots to give to a friend. I missed some and now have small Maximilians in that spot. Oh, I planted too much there.

2. Here is that front patch. I do not know how everything will fit in a couple of years. I like how it works now. There's early spring flowers and before they die, the Columbine blooms. Now that those are fading, the summer stuff is just about to start. I don't know that I could have done that on purpose if I tried. If you recognize Ironweed, you can see the two shorter, lighter Maximilians on either side of it. Oh, and I think there is one on the far left. Tallgrass Prairie flowers do get TALL. That Ironweed now towers over me.

The Maximilians do fine in part shade, but thrive in full sun. The only watering I gave them was maybe the first few weeks after putting them in the ground. They do well with whatever rain we get.

Here is where I ordered mine from:
http://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds/wildflowers-forbs/helianthu...

I would have no problem passing seeds on to you later this fall. They should be put in the ground by winter for best germination, or gone through the cold stratification.
http://www.prairiemoon.com/catalogs/starting-from-seed.pdf