{"product_id":"black-eyed-susan","title":"Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Hirta)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLocal Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Black‑eyed Susan\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBotanical Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eRudbeckia hirta\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFamily:\u003c\/strong\u003e Asteraceae\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNative Status:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dakota County\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLandscape Archetype:\u003c\/strong\u003e Prairie, Grassland, Savanna, Edgeland, Woodland\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLife Cycle:\u003c\/strong\u003e Biennial\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSun Exposure:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full Sun to Part Sun\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSoil Moisture:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dry to Mesic\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSoil Type:\u003c\/strong\u003e Loam, Sand, Gravel, Clay\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeight \u0026amp; Width Range:\u003c\/strong\u003e Height: Knees (12–24\"), Waist (24–36\"), Width: 12–24\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBloom Color: \u003c\/strong\u003eGold, Yellow, Brown\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMorphology Notes:\u003c\/strong\u003e An upright, coarse‑textured forb with a basal rosette of rough, hairy leaves and stiff, hairy flowering stems. Leaves are lanceolate to ovate with prominent veins and a sandpapery texture. Stems are usually unbranched below the inflorescence. Flower heads are solitary, with bright yellow ray florets surrounding a dark brown to black, conical central disk that gives the plant its unfortunate name.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFruits and Seeds: \u003c\/strong\u003eProduces dry achenes lacking a true pappus. Seeds are small, dark, and angular. They can be pokey and have lodged themselves into my fingertips before, but don’t let this scare you…you should collect the seeds in fall and disperse widely as it can be a lifeline for native insects. This plant is very easy to grow from seed. Seeds readily fall near the parent plant and germinate easily in open soil, allowing the species to self‑seed and move about in disturbed areas, like walkways, driveways, roadsides, etc…Give these seedlings an chance to surprise and delight you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHabit and habitat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Common in open prairies, savannas, old fields, roadsides, and disturbed gardens. It thrives in sunny sites with reduced competition and well-draining soil; however, it can tolerate and bloom in a surprising amount of shade. Often one of the first forbs to establish in a prairie planting as a biennial with a basil foliage that hugs the ground in its first year, then in its second year it offers a profusion of blooms. Occasionally one single individual will live for three years but more commonly it hangs out in a garden for a few years by reseeding. The seedheads persist into fall and throughout winter, they are very ornamental and offer forage for overwintering birds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompanions: \u003c\/strong\u003ePurple Prairie Clover (\u003cem\u003eDalea purpurea\u003c\/em\u003e), Butterfly Milkweed (\u003cem\u003eAsclepias tuberosa\u003c\/em\u003e), Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium), Yarrow (\u003cem\u003eAchillea millefolium\u003c\/em\u003e), \u003cem\u003eCampanulastrum americanum\u003c\/em\u003e (American Bellflower), \u003cem\u003eSymphyotrichum ericoides\u003c\/em\u003e (Heath Aster), \u003cem\u003eSymphyotrichum oblongifolium\u003c\/em\u003e (Aromatic Aster), \u003cem\u003eAgastache foeniculum \u003c\/em\u003e(Blue Giant Hyssop), Little Bluestem (\u003cem\u003eSchizachyrium scoparium\u003c\/em\u003e), Side‑oats Grama (\u003cem\u003eBouteloua curtipendula\u003c\/em\u003e), \u003cem\u003eCarex meadii (\u003c\/em\u003eMead's Sedge), \u003cem\u003eCarex muehlenbergii \u003c\/em\u003e(Muhlenberg's Sedge), \u003cem\u003eSorghastrum nutans \u003c\/em\u003e(Yellow Prairie Grass).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEcological Associations\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cem\u003eRudbeckia hirta\u003c\/em\u003e is an absolute keystone species that serves both generalists and specialists with high-value nectar and pollen for a wide range of native bees, including long-horned bees, sweat bees, mining bees, small carpenter bees, leaf-cutting bees, and green metallic bees. Specialist visitors such as Andrena rudbeckiae and Heterosarus rudbeckiae depend on this plant and other closely related genera. The composite flowers also attract Syrphid flies (Syrphidae), bee flies (Bombyliidae), Tachinid flies (Tachinidae), wasps, butterflies, and beetles (Soldier Beetles), making it a broadly valuable resource across insect guilds, even the foliage hosts generalist herbivorous insects, including the caterpillars of Chlosyne nycteis (Silvery Checkerspot). Rabbits and Deer tend to avoid the fuzzy leaves, however deer do occasionally browse it in spring. Persistent seedheads provide food for Spinus tristis (American Goldfinch) and other small birds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dakota County, Greater MN\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNH Propagation Technique:\u003c\/strong\u003e Seed\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecial Powers: \u003c\/strong\u003eBlack-eyed Susan is that old friend that you haven’t seen in years, yet somehow you pick up right where you left off. But don’t confuse this plant with the “Home Despot” black spot covered Goldstrum Rudbeckia frankenstein monsters you see in the fast-food drive-through rock display. The real Rudbeckia hirta is a class act that lives fast and dies young. Use this plant for instant impact on neighbors and insects. We highly recommend including this plant in all newly established sunny native plantings. It will bloom right away and offer instant gratification but then it fades away leaving space for longer-lived species to get established and come to prominence. \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Northern Holler, LLC","offers":[{"title":"2.5\" POWER PLUG","offer_id":48188153659642,"sku":"RUDB-HIRT-01","price":3.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"3.5” 1ST YR Perennial and Biennial","offer_id":48188512633082,"sku":"RUDB-HIRT-02","price":5.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"3.5” 2ND YR Biennial Special","offer_id":48188512665850,"sku":"RUDB-HIRT-O3","price":5.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0806\/9929\/3946\/files\/20250628_211905050_iOS.jpg?v=1775622574","url":"https:\/\/northernholler.com\/products\/black-eyed-susan","provider":"Northern Holler, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}