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Black-Eyed Susan: How to Grow and Care for This Cheery Perennial
Ignite your garden with the floral fireworks of black-eyed Susan.
Rapoza Landscape
Tuck spots of living sunshine into your landscape with the cheery yellow blooms of black-eyed Susan.
Low-maintenance and lovely, black-eyed Susan flowers start opening in early summer and keep on coming until fall frost. Most black-eyed Susan plants are perennial, although some are short-lived at best. Happily, many black-eyed Susans self-sow readily, ensuring a continued presence in the garden.
Botanical Name: Rudbeckia
Common Name: Black-eyed Susan
Hardiness Zones: 3 to 10
Size: 24 to 36 inches tall and wide; blooms 2 to 3 inches in diameter
Bloom Time: Late spring through early fall
On average, black-eyed Susan plants grow 24 to 36 inches tall and wide. If plants are happy, they can spread somewhat aggressively with underground stems and self-sowing. Limit the spread by dividing clumps every four to five years. Snipping spent blooms in fall prevents self-seeding. But if you leave faded flowers in place, they’ll add winter interest to the landscape and attract seed-eating birds.
This perky perennial, especially Rudbeckia fulgida, is drought-tolerant once established.
Black-eyed Susan plants boast sturdy constitutions, offering winter hardiness in Zones 3 to 10.
Planting Black-Eyed Susan
When to Plant Black-Eyed Susans
It's best to plant perennial Rudbeckia in early fall so they can acclimate to their new environment, but they can also be planted in mid-spring.
Give this bright bloomer a spot in full sun, although in hottest regions, a little afternoon shade won’t hurt. Plants survive in a partly shade location, but flower number will be reduced. Black-eyed Susan isn’t picky about soil and thrives in average soil that drains well.
Water newly planted black-eyed Susans until they’re steadily showing new growth, then gradually reduce moisture.
How to Use Black-Eyed Susan
Black-eyed Susan makes a great addition to a low-maintenance, low water-use landscape.
Plant plenty of black-eyed Susans and you’ll have ample blossoms to pick for bouquets.
Black-eyed Susan flowers beckon pollinators by the dozen, including all kinds of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Butterfly Garden Flowers 26 Photos
These vibrant flowers and plants provide nectar for butterflies and create a bold border for your yard.
Fuzzy, almost bristly leaves put black-eyed Susan on the do-not-disturb list for deer and rabbits.
Companion Plants
Black-eyed Susan plants bring a coarse texture to the garden. Pair them with fine-textured ornamental grasses and prairie blazing star to mimic their native prairie environs. Black-eyed Susan comes into its own in autumn, making it a wonderful planting companion for Russian sage and autumn sedums.
Varieties of Black-Eyed Susan
Look for black-eyed Susan flowers in a variety of sizes and colors. The common type, Rudbeckia fulgida, features the classic black-eyed Susan flower form, with a dark button center surrounded by a sunburst of golden petals.
American Meadows
Glorisa Daisy
Gloriosa daisies (Rudbeckia hirta) open flowers with a blend of hues, including bronze, russet and orange.
Shutterstock/ Khairil Azhar Junos
'Prairie Sun' gloriosa daisy reveals a green center encircled with gold and yellow petals.
Black-Eyed Susan Vine
Black-Eyed Susan Vine
Embrace high-flying beauty by planting black-eyed Susan vine, an easy growing tropical climber.
If you like the look of black-eyed Susan flowers, don’t miss an annual vine that goes by the same name: black-eyed Susan vine. It opens trumpet-shaped blooms with gold, orange or white petals and, in most cases, a dark-colored throat. These vines are tropical natives and grow easily from seed, but need warm soil to take off.
