• About
  • Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, and Disclosure

Garden Experiments

Gardening tips, experiments, product reviews, and stories from my backyard.

  • Plants
    • Vegetables
    • Flowers & Plants
    • State Flowers
  • Projects & Ideas
  • Wildlife
  • Reviews
  • Recipes
  • Gardens & Butterfly Houses
    • Directory of Butterfly Houses
    • Garden Tours
You are here: Home / Flowers & Plants / My Favorite Plant-It-And-Forget-It Flower: Black-eyed Susan

Updated on May 21, 2019

My Favorite Plant-It-And-Forget-It Flower: Black-eyed Susan

Share115
Pin7
Tweet
Email
122 Shares

Black-eyed Susan flowers with a butterfly feeding on one flower

If you’re looking for a plant-it-and-forget-it type of plant that still produces lots of flowers AND attracts pollinators, then look no further than the black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta).

This easy-to-grow wildflower is found throughout North America where you can find it alongside roads, in grassy openings and prairies, and even along the edge of forests. They bloom in mid to late summer through fall and vary in height from one foot to several feet tall.

Single black-eyed Susan flower against a dark background
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

With the dark brown center and bright orange-yellow petals, it resembles a tiny sunflower, which makes sense, as it is in the sunflower family – Asteraceae.

Their leaves are mostly basal and are rather hairy and rough. The hairy, rough leaves and stems can irritate your skin, so wear long sleeves and gloves when working with this plant. I’ve failed to do so on occasion and ended up with a bit of a rash from the irritation.

Wildlife Uses for Black-eyed Susan

It is deer resistant, drought tolerant, and attracts butterflies and bees and birds eat the seeds. In a cluster, this plant provides a great splash of color in your garden.

Did I mention they are super easy to grow and very low maintenance? It’s like a win-win.

Where to Plant It & How to Grow It

Pearl Crescent butterfly on Black-eyed Susan
Black-eyed Susan

For best flowering, plant in full sun. However, they can tolerate a little shade.

If you want to ensure longer bloom time, dead head the plants. But for low maintenance (that’s the way I do it!), just leave them for the birds.

I have noticed that in really humid, wet summers, my black-eyed Susans will get powdery mildew in some places. Thinning out really thick clumps may help this.

Did I mention this plant spreads, I mean really spreads? So be sure that you plant it where you don’t mind it filling in empty areas. You will need to get in there and thin it out if you want to keep it from taking over. However, most of the time, I do nothing to these plants and they do well. They appear to be very tolerant and forgiving.

Rudbeckia varieties can be perennial, annual, or biennial – so check it out before you make your choice on the type of black-eyed Susan to plant in your garden.

You can propagate these plants be dividing the roots and replanting. Keep the new plants well-watered until they are established. I have been known to literally tear up a piece of this plant and stick it in the ground and water it and it has survived. Talk about hardy!

You can also grow many of the varieties from seed, but getting a clump from a fellow gardener is definitely the easier route.

Characteristics of Black-eyed Susans

Honeybee on a black-eyed Susan flower
Honeybee on a black-eyed Susan flower
  • Easy to grow
  • Drought tolerant
  • Deer resistant
  • Plant in full sun for best results
  • Low maintenance
  • Spread well
  • Attract butterflies, bees, and birds
  • Make good long-lasting cut flowers

Companion Plants for Black-Eyed Susan

In large clumps, black-eyed Susans provide a strong pop of color in any garden, especially in spots where it may be tougher to grow less hardy plants. For a nice contrast of colors and textures, try mixing them with purple, silver, or blue flowering plants or tall grasses.

Black-eyed Susans in abundance

Additional Resources

View photos of Rudbeckia hirta: http://plants.usda.gov/java/imageGallery?category=symbol&imagetype=all&txtparm=RUHI2&viewsort=25&sort=sciname

Read the USDA plant fact sheet: http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_ruhi2.pdf

Share115
Pin7
Tweet
Email
122 Shares

Related

Article by Garden Experiments / Flowers & Plants / backyard habitat, butterflies, flowers, native plants, plant identification, wildflowers

Recent Posts

  • Yellow fungus in potting soil – the yellow houseplant mushroom
  • My Favorite Plant-It-And-Forget-It Flower: Black-eyed Susan
  • How to Help a Turtle Cross the Road

About Me

Welcome! My name is Kathy and I live in Mississippi Zone 7B. Gardening has always relaxed and rooted me (literally!). It's my happy place. With over 25 years of gardening, I am far from an expert, but I learn from all my experiments. This blog talks about the plants, backyard critters, and more that have made my garden special. Read More

Gardener's Supply Company

Shop Our January Clearance Sale and Save Up to 50%!

Get My Posts Via Email

Subscribe below!

Join 45 other subscribers

Popular Posts

Landscape Solutions for the Base of TreesLandscape Solutions for the Base of Trees5K Total Shares
Restore metal outdoor furniture to “like new”Restore metal outdoor furniture to “like new”4K Total Shares
Best Hummingbird Feeder: Review of Four Types of FeedersBest Hummingbird Feeder: Review of Four Types of Feeders1K Total Shares

Tags

backyard habitat bees berries bird feeders birds bulbs butterflies compost container garden deer resistant DIY projects fall flowers full sun garden pest gardens herbs how-to hummingbirds indoor plants insects moist soil mulch native plants part shade plant identification projects and ideas propagation propagation. wildflowers raised beds recipes reviews rooting shade shrubs spring spring flowers succulents Summer trees vegetables vines wildflowers wildlife winter

Categories

Plow & Hearth

INSTAGRAM

gardenexperiments7b

Hi! I'm Kathy and I live in Georgia Zone 7B. I write about plants, gardening, and backyard wildlife.

Instagram post 2179522093891274815_5508165351 It was a beautiful day to be outside. I’m thankful for the sunny skies and warmer temps
Instagram post 2156262241194992517_5508165351 Even in fall when these hydrangeas are on the way out, they are beautiful as they dry, creating a stunning display of flower heads to last until winter. 
#hydrangealove #hydrangeas #landscapingideas #gardening
Instagram post 2154552035096381415_5508165351 Hope you have an awesome Monday! #butterflies #gulffritillary
Instagram post 2132203575273811702_5508165351 Happy Friday!
Instagram post 2131633902312474051_5508165351 Picked a few more Cherokee purple and pink heirloom tomatoes tonight. Hope my neighbors like tomatoes 
#tomatoes #homegrowntomatoes #vegetablegarden #containergardening
Instagram post 2130915325938699175_5508165351 Lots and lots of tomatoes! I’m picking them a little early to beat the birds to them. #tomatoes #homegrowntomatoes #vegetablegarden #vegetablegardening #containergardening
Instagram post 2119305956398581610_5508165351 Beautiful fan flower (Scaevola aemula) can take the heat of August days and still look good. This one is quite stunning in a planter with well-draining soil.

#fanflower #flowerstagram #flowergardening #flowersofinstagram #gardening #containergardening
Instagram post 2116336925517538899_5508165351 So much beauty in the pitfall trap of this pitcher plant 
#carnivorousplants #carnivorousplant #pitcherplants
Instagram post 2114967000634857911_5508165351 Beautiful orchids from the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. The orchid room is my favorite spot in the gardens 
#orchids #atlantabotanicalgardens #flowerstagram #flowersofinstagram
Instagram post 2112799992384089687_5508165351 Visited this beautiful lady at the Atlanta botanical gardens today 
#atlantabotanicalgardens #flowerstagram #flowergardening #flowers
Instagram post 2110686617202179236_5508165351 One of the other varieties is coming in. I think they are brandywine pink heirlooms. Haven’t tasted them yet but I’m looking forward to it.

#tomatoes #homegrowntomatoes#vegetablegarden #vegetablegardening #containergardening
Instagram post 2109896313440176932_5508165351 So incredibly delicious - Cherokee purple tomatoes 
#homegrowntomatoes #homegrownveggies #containergardening #vegetablegarden #vegetablegardening
Load More... Follow on Instagram

© Copyright 2019 Garden Experiments · All Rights Reserved ·

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more