- Botanical name: Rudbeckia hirta
- Light: full sun, part shade
- Water needs: low, medium
- Soil: clay, loam, sand
- Height: 2 – 4 ft
- Bloom: June, July
- Sociability: 3
- Wildlife value: Butterflies, goldfinches, and other pollinators
Black-eyed Susan is a fast-growing biennial or short-lived perennial. “Hirta” means hairy, and this is the main way you can tell the difference between this and its cousin Rudbeckia fulgida (orange coneflower): R. hirta is thickly covered in small soft hairs, while R. fulgida has more sparse hairs on its leaves.
This is an easy plant to grow from seed, and is often the first flower that will bloom in many pre-made seed mixes. It will happily re-seed itself around a garden but is easy to control. The flower head, like other coneflowers, has many yellow to orange petals with a brown center.
Spreading notes: Will reseed in a garden
Maintenance notes: None
Sources: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/, https://www.wildflower.org/plants/, https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/plantfindersearch.aspx
