How to Grow Black Eyed Susan’s from Seed

Black Eyed Susans are the most common wildflower in America and home gardeners find them very easy to grow. These spiky gold petals have a brown or black center and usually bloom in mid-summer. Black Eyed Susans are usually perennials or biennials, but all types can be grown from seed. The plant even reseeds itself. Rudbeckia hirta, as it is called in Latin, grows well along highways and their easy growth makes them popular for highway beautification programs. They are just as east to grow in the home flower garden and excellent for attracting butterflies.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

things you’ll need:

• Black Eyed Susan seeds

1. Prepare the plot for the Black Eyed Susans. These flowers can grow just about anywhere, in any type of soil but they do best in full sun. Avoid spots with lots of nitrogen in the soil because that can promote too much foliage over flower growth.
2. Select a variety of Black Eyed Susan to grow and purchase the seeds. The choice only depends on appearance as most varieties grow under the same conditions. For example, the variety Indian Summer Rudbeckia looks more like a traditional Black Eyed Susan than Goldilocks, which has an abundance of flower petals. Most of these wildflowers grow about 12-24 inches tall, depending on the variety.
3. Scatter the seeds on top of soil and water them in.
4. Once the seedlings are up, thin them to 1-11/2 feet apart. Black eyed Susans grown from seed take about 100-120 days to mature. This flower needs a long growing season, so plant them early for flowers in the first year.