Black Eyed Susan - Black-Eyed Susan

Black Eyed Susan
Gardening Tips Perennials

Black eyed Susan plants are one of the classic backbone plants of the mid to late summer perennial garden. I have grown them for many years and can say with some confidence that I rarely met one I did not want to keep in my garden.

The plant Rudbeckia (botanic name for black eyed susan) was named after Olaus Olai Rudbeck (1660- 1740) a Swedish physician and botanist. And while black eyed is simple – the plants have a black eye - none of my resources tell me who Susan was. :-)

Growing Conditions

The trick to growing black eyed susan plants is to give them full sun in decent soil. Moderate fertility will give you the best flower show so avoid the edges of lawns where lawn food will give too much nitrogen.

Mostly in shades of yellow and gold, the plants range in height from 18 inches to a full 72 inches in height and bloom in late summer into fall. Planting is 18 inches apart for the shorter varieties and 24 inches apart for the larger plants over 3 feet tall.

Propagation

For those who like to propagate plants, black eyed susans are mostly done from seed or division. Note the hybrids will not come true from seed so division is the preferred method.

Recommended Varieties

R. fulgida is a 24 to 36 inch tall species that is an excellent and long-lived perennial plant in our gardens.
‘Goldsturm’ 24 inches tall and is the most famous of the entire black eyed susan family. This is the one that is most often seen in garden photographs. It is an excellent plant for mass planting or naturalizing.

'Viette’s Little Suzy’ 12 to 18 inch tall form with medium yellow flowers. It starts blooming mid to late summer and blooms right through fall and the amazing foliage turns deep mahogany in fall.

R. hirta All of the these black eyed susan plants are either biennials or short lived perennials in the garden. Do grow them on lighter soil (sandier) as they will die on wet or clay soils.

‘Indian Summer’ is an award winning black eyed susan and its massive flowers deserve a spot in every garden. It is an excellent cut flower and shouts its flowering display across the garden. My only regret is that it does not live for very long in my garden.

R. laciniata hortensia or ‘Golden Glow’ This old fashioned favorite became known as the “Outhouse Plant” in pioneer times because that was usually the place they were found. These are big, strong, relatively fast-spreading plants and this was one place they could grow with impunity. This plant requires edging every few years to keep it in bounds. It easily hits 8 feet tall each year and has double golden yellow flowers for the late summer throughout the fall season.

R. maxima is a hardy perennial that grows to 6 feet tall with clear golden flowers in the fall. This little known plant is one of my favorite family members.

R. triloba another tall favorite that reaches 5 to 6 feet with yellow to orange blooms.

Common Problem

If you see the lower leaves of this plant turning brown and twisting, the odds are that you have powdery mildew or one of the numerous leaf spot fungal problems this plant is susceptible to.

You may want to start an organic spray programme.

Â© 2007 Douglas Green