I assume you are talking about Rudbeckia hirta seeds? No, it's not too late. I have winter-sown these and they are hardy seedlings and sprout fairly early. I plant them out in May and usually have blooms by mid-July or so. You will probably get blooms later in the season instead. Also, some may act like a biennial and will likely over-winter and give you a good show next year. They like good drainage, and will tolerate some drought, but since this is a bird bath garden, it's easy to give them a shot of water when you're changing the water in the bird bath. Just a note about bird baths (I am an avid backyard birder) - if you have cats or hawks that frequent your yard, bird baths need to be out in the open, where the birds are able to keep a good eye on predators that may be soaring or crouching behind a perennial. They also need some cover nearby to dash into in case a hawk attacks - a dense shrub is good.

GG, How large do those vines grow for you? I grew morning glories last year and loved them but they were a little overwhelming. They would have covered the deck completely if I had let them.

I have two patches of rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' that are eight years old. The patch in the front of the house is fine. The patch in the back is gone. A theory of mine is that the front received more water and late afternoon shade during the drought last year. The patch in the back was drier and blasted by sun all day. That patch did look bad last fall. Though they're drought tolerant, I think the lack of water maybe did them in, though the echinacea next to them are coming up fine. It is kind of weird, I must say.

It's some kind of leaf disease or fungus, I can't remember the exact name. They still bloom, but looks ugly up close. I've started to yank them from my gardens due to the same thing. I do a full cleanup in the fall of all BES, but it hasn't helped curb the disease...so out they go. Such a shame, too, since they offer such a nice end of summer color.