Black-eyed Susan (Annual)

Rudbeckia hirta

Rudbeckia hirta is the native Black-eyed Susan. the hairy, dry-site, biennial-to-short-lived perennial species that colonizes roadsides and open fields across North America. The classic orange-yellow flowers with the deep brown central cone bloom prolifically from June through September on rough, hairy stems, and the plant self-seeds reliably to maintain itself in the garden and meadow year after year. This is the species from which countless garden cultivars have been developed, but the straight species retains the rough, vital character that makes it so effective ecologically. Rudbeckia hirta is among the first native plants recommended for anyone starting a pollinator garden or meadow. It germinates easily, blooms in its first or second year from seed, and establishes quickly in difficult, dry conditions where other perennials struggle. The flowers are visited by dozens of native bee species, tiger swallowtail and painted lady butterflies, and the seed heads persist through fall and winter to feed goldfinches and juncos. It is, in short, the baseline native plant for the sunny, dry native garden.