Rudbeckia hirta

Rudbeckia hirta: Wildflower Gold, Quick to Fill Gaps

Golden petals around a raised brown cone on rough, bristly stems. This native wildflower is the black-eyed Susan in its original form, scruffy and proud. NO SALON. NO PROBLEM.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Rudbeckia hirta
• Common Name: Black-Eyed Susan
• Height: 60–90 cm (2–3 ft)
• Spread: 30–60 cm (1–2 ft)
• Flowers: Daisy-like, with golden-yellow petals around a raised, dark brown cone
• Bloom Time: Early summer to early fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Rough, bristly, medium green leaves on hairy stems
• Features: Tolerates clay, self-seeds

Where to Plant: Plant it in meadows, prairie-style beds, pollinator gardens and the sunny, slightly neglected corners of the yard. It's a smart pick for new gardens, because it fills gaps quickly while slower plantings settle in, and it handles clay. It also belongs in a cut-flower bed.

Companion Plants: Plant black-eyed Susan in a sunny or part-shade native meadow with violets, lupines and asters. Viola sororia opens purple-blue violets at 15 to 25 cm from April to June. Lupinus perennis adds blue wild lupine at 30 to 60 cm in May and June. Symphyotrichum shortii brings pale blue asters at 60 to 90 cm from August to October. Calamagrostis canadensis stands behind at 90 to 150 cm in flower, a native bluejoint grass.

Plant Care: Give it full sun or light part shade and average, well-drained soil. It copes with poor soil, clay and dry spells once established, so there's no need for rich soil or extra fertilizer. Plants are often short-lived, behaving as biennials or short-lived perennials. That's fine, because they reseed. Leave some seed heads standing in fall to keep the colony going, and the finches will thank you. Deadhead if you want fewer seedlings. Cut old stems back in late fall or early spring. Pull extra seedlings in spring if they land somewhere you'd rather they didn't.

History: Black-eyed Susan is native across eastern and central North America and now grows wild in every Canadian province. The genus was named by Linnaeus for the Swedish botanists Olof Rudbeck the elder and younger, and hirta is Latin for hairy, after its bristly leaves and stems.

Final Thoughts: Clay, drought and deer are all handled, and it seeds itself around for next year. Let it wander. FREE PLANTS, FOREVER.