Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia fulgida · Asteraceae Popular
Masses of golden, dark-centred flowers from midsummer into fall. It slowly spreads into generous drifts and holds up well to heat and dry spells.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Mid July to mid September
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around black-eyed Susan
The planner designed this bed around black-eyed Susan when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why black-eyed Susan stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Black-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 2 Winter heath × 11, pink
- 3 Sea thrift × 5, white
- 4 Italian bugloss 'Dropmore' × 3, blue
- 5 Switchgrass 'Cheyenne Sky' × 3, purple
- 6 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 5, purple
- 8 Lady tulip × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only daisies. The others are bells, globes, airy sprays and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- A classic partner for switchgrass 'Cheyenne Sky'. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- The only yellow. The one hot colour: every other flower here is cool or neutral.
Why here
- At the back. At 24 in it is seen over winter heath (10 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to switchgrass 'Cheyenne Sky' (3 ft) and ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 11 weeks. From mid July to mid September.
- Fills a gap. For one of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 56% of the planted ground. Winter heath repeats along the bed to tie it together. The scheme leans cool (pink, blue and purple) and uses yellow for warmth, with white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where black-eyed Susan goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Strong yellow is the loudest colour in the late border, so use it in a drift and repeat it. It is at its best with blues, purples, the tans of grasses and the dusky pink of sedum 'Autumn Joy'.
- Late-summer colour that carries into autumn
- Mass planting
- A prairie look with grasses
What to plant with black-eyed Susan
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Russian sage: in flower together for 10 weeks, from mid July; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': in flower together for six weeks, from mid August; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- Switchgrass 'Shenandoah': its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Purple coneflower vs Black-eyed Susan.
Questions about black-eyed Susan
Does black-eyed Susan need sun or shade?
Black-eyed Susan grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does black-eyed Susan grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does black-eyed Susan flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid July to mid September. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Mid July to mid September |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid July to mid September |
| Zone 5 | Mid July to mid September |
| Zone 6 | Mid July to mid September |
| Zone 7 | Early July to mid September |
| Zone 8 | Early July to mid September |
| Zone 9 | Late June to mid September |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should black-eyed Susan be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many black-eyed Susan plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is black-eyed Susan poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat black-eyed Susan?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will black-eyed Susan spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by short runners and self-seeds, forming widening patches. Divide every few years.
What flowers after black-eyed Susan?
Black-eyed Susan is over by mid September. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
- October daphne: from mid September to late October, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Meadow saffron: from mid September to mid October, 6 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does black-eyed Susan look like in winter?
Black-eyed Susan dies down, but leave the stems standing: the seed heads stand through the winter, and songbirds eat the seed. Cut them down in early spring, before the new shoots come.
Is black-eyed Susan good for bees and butterflies?
Black-eyed Susan is visited by pollinators, butterflies and songbirds.
It is a host plant: the caterpillars of silvery checkerspot and wavy-lined emerald feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.
It is native to the United States.
More Rudbeckia
- Black-eyed Susan 'American Gold Rush' Rudbeckia 'American Gold Rush'
- Black-eyed Susan 'Goldsturm' Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm'
- Black-eyed Susan 'Little Goldstar' Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Little Goldstar'
- Brown-eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba
- Coneflower 'Herbstsonne' Rudbeckia 'Herbstsonne'
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata
- Giant coneflower Rudbeckia maxima
- Gloriosa daisy Rudbeckia hirta
- Gloriosa daisy 'Indian Summer' Rudbeckia hirta 'Indian Summer'
- Sweet coneflower 'Henry Eilers' Rudbeckia subtomentosa 'Henry Eilers'
In these guides
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Host plants for the silvery checkerspot
- Host plants for the wavy-lined emerald
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Mid July to mid September; daisies; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Upright, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Comes from
- Eastern United States
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies, songbirds
- Host plant for
- Silvery checkerspot, Wavy-lined emerald
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.