Black Eyed Susan

Rudbeckia fulgida

Rudbeckia fulgida, the perennial Black Eyed Susan is one of the most popular perennials in the U.S. for good reason. It is not picky about soil. It loves the sun and will tolerate heat and humidity. It blooms profusely from mid-summer to fall.



Black Eyed Susan in my Aunt Charlotte's yard.

My Aunt Charlotte and I admiring a clump of Rudbeckia Goldstrum in her yard in Connecticut.

If that isn't enough reason to grow this 3 foot tall beauty, try this: Its rhizomatous roots form clumps which can be easily divided, making it easy to propagate.

It also makes a good cut flower and bugs don't seem to bother it. Goldfinches dine on the seeds in the fall. Any that they leave will lend interest to the winter landscape.

The bright gold daisy-like flowers are perfectly accented by their chocolate brown centers. Few flowers are as showy as a Black Eyed Susan in full flush. They blend well with other plants and look especially stunning positioned alongside ornamental grasses.

The best way to use Rudbeckia fulgida in the garden is to plant it in large drifts in the perennial border or in a big circle under a tree in the center of the lawn. Some gardeners like to plant it behind a shorter flower to hide its coarse foliage.

Regular deadheading will prolong the bloom season. It will also prevent volunteers from popping up in unexpected places the following season. The clumps will become overcrowded in a few years if you don't divide them. Spring is the best time to do this.

This plant is well suited to zones 3-9a though it does not care for Florida.

Black-Eyed Susan

Black-Eyed Susan

Multitudes of golden, daisylike flowers with shiny black centers.


Black Eyed Susan

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Rudbeckia fulgida City Garden


Buy Black-Eyed Susan - City Garden Here

This is a miniature Black Eyed Susan that is great for container gardening and planting in smaller spaces. Its bloom season is midsummer to early fall.

City Garden plants grow up to a foot tall and are suitable for planting in zones 2-10.

Rudbeckia fulgida Early Bird Gold


Buy Black-Eyed Susan - Early Bird Gold Here

This is an early blooming Rudbeckia which begins putting on a flower show in early summer. Early Bird Gold plants start blooming before the other R. fulgida cultivars but it continues just as late into fall as the rest of this floriferous clan.

Suitable for zones 4-10.





Rudbeckia Goldsturm

Rubdeckia Goldsturm (sometimes misspelled Rudbeckia Goldstrum) is the most popular black eyed Susan perennial growing in the U.S. today.

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Rudbeckia Prairie Sun

Rudbeckia Prairie Sun is a member of the Rudbeckia hirta clan which are annual flowers. (Rudbeckia fulgida encompasses the perennial types.)

Ratibida Pinnata

Ratibida pinnata, a.k.a. Mexican hat plant or prairie coneflower, is a perennial wildflower native to Ontario, Canada and the eastern half of the United States.

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Echinacea plant, purple coneflowers. Echinacea purpurea plants. What the herb Echinacea is used for.

Green Coneflower

Green coneflower, Green Wizard Rudbeckia occidentalis Nutt. Also called black and western coneflower. Perennials.

Go back to Perennial Border Plants

These easy to grow perennial border plants will add bold color and year-round interest to your garden.

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