previous
  • Lawn Alternatives
    Lawn Alternatives
  • Thoughts From a Foreign Field
    Thoughts From a Foreign Field
  • Colorful Selections for Shade
    Colorful Selections for Shade
  • Garden Confidential: A Plant Walks into a Bar
    Garden Confidential: A Plant Walks into a Bar
  • Save Money by Growing Your Own
    Save Money by Growing Your Own
  • Comfortable Alfresco Dining
    Comfortable Alfresco Dining
  • Plants that Spark!
    Plants that Spark!
  • Building a Compost Bin
    Building a Compost Bin
  • NEW Video Series: There's a Better Way
    NEW Video Series: There's a Better Way
  • In Pursuit of the Perfect Potting Shed
    In Pursuit of the Perfect Potting Shed
  • Slideshow: Beautiful Clematis
    Slideshow: Beautiful Clematis
  • Fast-Growing Trees for Impatient Gardeners
    Fast-Growing Trees for Impatient Gardeners
  • Fragrant Plants for Pathways
    Fragrant Plants for Pathways
  • Plant an Easy-to-Water Strawberry Jar
    Plant an Easy-to-Water Strawberry Jar
  • Elephant's Ears
    Elephant's Ears
  • 6 Tips for Weed Control
    6 Tips for Weed Control
  • Mulch for a Healthy Garden
    Mulch for a Healthy Garden
  • Containers as Focal Points
    Containers as Focal Points
  • Stylish Shady Containers
    Stylish Shady Containers
  • Homegrown / Homemade
    Homegrown / Homemade
  • Make a Succulent Topiary
    Make a Succulent Topiary
  • Designing with Curved Terraces
    Designing with Curved Terraces
  • Indeterminate or Determinate Tomatoes?
    Indeterminate or Determinate Tomatoes?
  • Dwarf Citrus Trees
    Dwarf Citrus Trees
  • Pretty in Pink
    Pretty in Pink
next

Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan, Gloriosa daisy, Coneflower)

Rudbeckia hirta Rudbeckia hirta 'Toto' Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of White Flower Farm


Be the first to rate this plant

Plant Showcase - from our advertisers


Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Botanical Name: Rudbeckia hirta rud-BEK-ee-ah HER-tah Common Name: Black-eyed Susan, Gloriosa daisy, Coneflower Synonyms: R. gloriosa Genus: Rudbeckia
This biennial or short-lived perennial has given rise to numerous cultivars which are often grown as annuals. From summer into early autumn, it bears daisy-like blossoms (to 3 inches across) with light or deep yellow rays and brownish-purple centers. The flowers are a staple in late summer bouquets.
Noteworthy characteristics: Rudbeckias hail from the moist meadows and dappled woods of North America. They are suitable for mixed borders, meadows, native gardens, open woods, and large annual displays. 
Care: Grow in average, slightly heavy but well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade.
Propagation: Sow seeds of annuals and biennials in spring; sow perennial seeds in a cold frame in early spring, or divide plants in spring or fall.
Problems: Aphids, powdery mildew, smut, rust, Ramularia and Septoria leaf spots, snails, slugs.
Height 1 ft. to 3 ft.
Spread 1 ft. to 3 ft.
Growth Habit Clumps
Growth Pace Fast Grower
Light Full Sun to Part Shade
Moisture Medium Moisture
Maintenance Low
Characteristics Attracts Birds; Attracts Butterflies; Native; Self Seeds; Showy Flowers; Showy Seed Heads
Bloom Time Early Fall; Late Summer; Summer
Flower Color Brown Flower; Orange/ Salmon Flower; Red Flower; Yellow Flower
Uses Beds and Borders, Cut Flower, Hedge, Naturalizing, Roadside, Suitable as Annual, Meadow Garden
Style Cottage Garden
Seasonal Interest Summer Interest, Fall Interest
Type Perennials

Plants you might also like

Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm' Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm'
(Orange Coneflower, Black-eyed Susan)
(12 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Large flowers consisting of brassy orange-yellow rays surrounding brown cones are what make this plant so popular. It blooms for 7 or 8 weeks beginning in midsummer. The flowers top 18- to 30-inch-tall plants that will readily self sow in cultivated soils. 

Echinacea purpurea ‘Bright Star’ Echinacea purpurea ‘Bright Star’
(Purple coneflower)
Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This native meadow derivative with daisy-like flowers blooms from early summer into early autumn. 'Bright Star' has prominent, copper-orange central cones surrounded by red-purple ray petals (to 5 inches across), and grows to less than 3 feet tall.

Echinacea purpurea 'Kim's Knee High' Echinacea purpurea 'Kim's Knee High'
(Purple coneflower)
(3 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This native meadow derivative is a compact version of the species. It blooms from midsummer into early autumn, with prominent, copper-orange central cones surrounded by drooping, rose- or purple-pink ray petals. It will reach 24 inches if not cut back.

Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'
(Purple coneflower)
(12 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This native meadow derivative has vibrant, daisy-like flowers that bloom from midsummer into early autumn. Its prominent, dark orange central cones are surrounded by larger (to 7 inches across) and more horizontal, reddish-pink, ray petals than the species.

Echinacea purpurea Echinacea purpurea
(Purple coneflower)
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Because of its carefree performance, this native meadow perennial with daisy-like flowers appropriately inhabits the gardens of many. It blooms from midsummer into early autumn, with prominent, copper-orange central cones surrounded by rose-purple, ray petals (to 5 inches across).