Approximately 300 seeds per packet
Collected & Packaged: 2025
Germination code: None
Please refer to our germination codes and growing information for recommendations and tips.
No treatment needed: this species will germinate when temperatures are warm. Seeds can be sown anytime of year. Seeds sown outdoors in late summer to early fall may germinate quickly, and often overwinter as young plants to flower the next year. Seeds sown outdoors in late fall and winter will usually germinate in the spring.
Surface sow only: Seeds of this species prefer to be surface sown, or covered by a very, very thin layer of soil, sterile sand or vermiculite.
Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan) Seed Packet
Virginia ecotype
Duration: Annual to short-lived perennial (often biennial)
Habit: Upright, clump-forming, vigorously self-seeding
Size: 1–3 ft tall, 1–2 ft wide
Flowering Time: June–October
Bloom Color: Yellow rays with a dark brown to black central cone Habitat: Meadows, prairies, fields, roadsides, open woods, and disturbed sites
Moisture: Dry to average; well-drained soils
Light: Full sun to part sun
Soils: Sandy, loamy, or clay; tolerant of many types including poor and compacted soils
Uses: Pollinator gardens, native meadows, mass plantings, roadside stabilization, cut flowers, cottage gardens, early successional habitat and wildlife supportBlack-eyed Susan is a native annual to short-lived perennial, often acting as a biennial (germinates one year, flowers the next). It is without a doubt one of the easiest native plants to grow, and one of the showiest too.
Rudbeckia hirta flowers heaviest in summer, with some plants sporadically flowering into fall, sometimes up to first frost. The flowers are pollinated by short-tongued solitary bees, moths, and small butterflies. It is a wonderful flower for attracting many small insects that easily escape notice.
The Black-eyed Susan produces bountiful seed, which lends itself well to feeding native birds. Primarily goldfinches will pluck fresh seeds from the flower heads before seed is dried. Small songbirds and little mammals also enjoy the seeds.
This Rudbeckia species is a "pioneer" or early successional plant of grasslands and prairies, meaning it produces ample seed and spreads itself well in areas of low plant competition, or sprouts from soil disturbance. Populations of pioneer species usually decline in population over time as more long-lived perennial or shrub species take root.
If you want blooms quicker while waiting on perennials to develop in a planting, Black-eyed Susans will give you almost immediate color. Seeds can be sown on open ground or in containers. Collecting and saving even a paltry amount of Rudbeckia hirta seed would net many, many years of plants for future populations.