Black-Eyed Susan

Botanical Interests Black-Eyed Susan Seeds

The state flower of Maryland has 2"-4" daisy-like flowers with orange-yellow petals. This beautiful, heirloom rudbeckia blooms over a long period--at least 8 weeks; winter seed cones supply food for birds, too. Black-Eyed Susan is a short-lived perennial (USDA zones 3-7), that may come back for a second or third year, but is often treated as an annual. Great cut flower. North American native wildflower; may re-seed itself and is an excellent addition to wildflower areas.

Sowing Information:

• Light: Full sun
• When to Start Inside: 8 to 10 weeks before your average last frost date. If started inside early enough, may bloom the first year.
• When to Sow Outside: 2 to 4 weeks before your average last frost date, and as late as 2 months before your average first fall frost date.
• Seed Depth: Press into surface
• Seed Spacing: A group of 3 seeds every 12-24 inches
• Thinning: When 1-2 inches tall, thin to 1 every 12-24 inches
• Days to Emerge: 10-15 days
• Blooms: Summer to frost

Growing Notes:

• Harvesting: For longest vase life, harvest flowers in the morning, choosing those that have just unfurled all their petals.
• Hardiness: Short-lived perennial in USDA zones 3–7, but usually treated as an annual, because it does not reliably come back year after year. May self-sow
• Attributes: Attracts hummingbirds, attracts pollinators, cut flower, deer resistant