← Bedfellow

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta

Bright golden-yellow ray petals surround a dark chocolate cone on coarse, bristly stems from early summer until frost. A pioneering prairie flower that thrives in poor, sunny ground and heavy clay. Though short-lived, it self-seeds freely to fill open garden gaps year after year.

Family

Asteraceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

annual

Height

2–3 ft

Spacing

1–2 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

dry, moist

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

June, July, August, September, October

Bloom colors

yellow

Wildlife value

songbirds, butterflies, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~15 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

border, foundation, naturalizing, rain garden

Native states

AL, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY