Black-eyed Susan varieties

Black-eyed Susans in this catalog belong to two main species: Rudbeckia hirta, which NC State Extension calls a biennial or short-lived perennial that self-seeds, and Rudbeckia fulgida, a perennial that NC State Extension says spreads by rhizomes into large clumps. Use the filters to narrow the list by species, height and bloom time, then open a variety for its full record and where to buy.

All black-eyed Susans

40 black-eyed Susan varieties

A American Gold Rush black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant American Gold Rush Leaf spot resistant hybrid rudbeckia with golden yellow flowers, 22 to 24 inches, July until frost. Other speciesMidsummerMedium height
A Autumn Colors black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Autumn Colors Black-eyed Susan with 5 inch bronze flowers ringed in red around rusty red centers. Rudbeckia hirtaEarly summerMedium height
A Autumn Forest black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Autumn Forest Annual black-eyed Susan with 5 inch blooms in red, yellow and mahogany shades. Rudbeckia hirtaLate springMedium height
A Black Beauty black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Black Beauty Rayless western coneflower with black cones and green sepals, 2 to 3 feet. Other speciesEarly summerMedium height
A Cappuccino black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Cappuccino Black-eyed Susan with red-orange rays tipped yellow, 18 to 20 inches, June to frost. Rudbeckia hirtaEarly summerMedium height
A Cherokee Sunset black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Cherokee Sunset AAS winning mix of mostly double black-eyed Susans in orange, gold, bronze and chocolate. Rudbeckia hirtaEarly summerMedium height
A Cherry Brandy black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Cherry Brandy Compact black-eyed Susan with single wine-red flowers 3 to 4 inches across. Rudbeckia hirtaEarly summerMedium height
A Chim Chiminee black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Chim Chiminee Black-eyed Susan mix with quilled petals in gold, russet, dusty red and chocolate. Rudbeckia hirtaEarly summerMedium height
A City Garden black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant City Garden Compact 12 inch black-eyed Susan with yellow-orange flowers, July to September. Rudbeckia fulgidaMidsummerCompact
A Denver Daisy black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Denver Daisy Short-lived perennial black-eyed Susan with brown and gold blooms from midsummer to fall. Rudbeckia hirtaMidsummerMedium height
A Early Bird Gold black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Early Bird Gold Day-neutral black-eyed Susan with bright yellow flowers from mid-June to October, 18 to 24 inches. Rudbeckia fulgidaEarly summerMedium height
A Glitters Like Gold black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Glitters Like Gold Hybrid black-eyed Susan with 3 inch golden flowers, 2 to 3 feet, July to September. Other speciesMidsummerMedium height
A Gloriosa Daisy black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Gloriosa Daisy Rudbeckia hirta seed strain with large bicolor double blooms from summer to fall. Rudbeckia hirtaEarly summerMedium height
Golda Emanis Giant coneflower with golden spring foliage and tall yellow flowers, June to July. Rudbeckia maximaEarly summerTall
A Golden Glow black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Golden Glow Victorian double coneflower with fully double yellow flowers on 5 to 7 foot stems, July to September. Rudbeckia laciniataMidsummerTall
A Goldsturm black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Goldsturm Classic black-eyed Susan with deep yellow rays and a dark center, 2 to 3 feet, midsummer to fall. Rudbeckia fulgidaMidsummerMedium height
A Green Wizard black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Green Wizard Rayless western coneflower with black cones and green sepals, 3 to 5 feet tall. Other speciesEarly summerTall
A Henry Eilers black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Henry Eilers Sweet coneflower with quilled yellow rays and brown centers, 3 to 5 feet, July to September. Rudbeckia subtomentosaMidsummerTall
A Herbstsonne black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Herbstsonne Tall coneflower with drooping yellow rays and green cones, 5 to 7 feet, June to August. Rudbeckia laciniataEarly summerTall
A Indian Summer black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Indian Summer AAS winning black-eyed Susan with 4 to 7 inch golden flowers on tall, sturdy stems. Rudbeckia hirtaEarly summerTall
A Irish Eyes black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Irish Eyes Tall black-eyed Susan with single golden-yellow flowers around a bright green eye. Rudbeckia hirtaMidsummerMedium height
A Irish Spring black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Irish Spring Rudbeckia hirta with large golden yellow flowers and green centers, June to frost. Rudbeckia hirtaEarly summerMedium height
A Little Goldstar black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Little Goldstar Compact black-eyed Susan with golden yellow blooms and dark cones, about 1 foot tall, July to September. Rudbeckia fulgidaMidsummerCompact
A Little Henry black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Little Henry Compact sweet coneflower with quilled butter-yellow petals and dark cones, 3 to 4 feet tall. Rudbeckia subtomentosaMidsummerTall
A Moreno black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Moreno Early, compact black-eyed Susan with mahogany red flowers tipped golden orange. Rudbeckia hirtaLate springCompact
A Prairie Glow black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Prairie Glow Brown-eyed Susan with rusty orange and yellow bicolor blooms, 3 to 4 feet, July to October. Rudbeckia trilobaMidsummerTall
A Prairie Sun black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Prairie Sun Black-eyed Susan with golden, primrose tipped petals around a green center. Rudbeckia hirtaEarly summerMedium height
A Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii Native black-eyed Susan variety with orange-yellow rays and dark cones, 2 to 3 feet, July to October. Rudbeckia fulgidaMidsummerMedium height
A Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida Late-flowering native black-eyed Susan with golden yellow 2 inch flowers, 2 to 3 feet, into October. Rudbeckia fulgidaMidsummerMedium height
A Rudbeckia hirta black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Rudbeckia hirta The native black-eyed Susan, 2 to 3 feet, yellow rays and dark brown centers from June to September. Rudbeckia hirtaEarly summerMedium height
A Rudbeckia maxima black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Rudbeckia maxima Giant native coneflower with yellow rays and tall dark cones on 5 to 7 foot stalks, June to July. Rudbeckia maximaEarly summerTall
A Rudbeckia missouriensis black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Rudbeckia missouriensis Native Missouri coneflower with yellow rays and black centers, 2 to 3 feet, June to October. Other speciesEarly summerMedium height
A Rudbeckia triloba black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Rudbeckia triloba Native brown-eyed Susan with profuse small yellow flowers, 2 to 5 feet, July to October. Rudbeckia trilobaMidsummerTall
A Sahara black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Sahara Compact black-eyed Susan with double blooms in copper, brown, pale yellow and soft rose. Rudbeckia hirtaEarly summerMedium height
A Summerblaze black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Summerblaze Compact upright black-eyed Susan, yellow rays and dark disks, July to September. Other speciesMidsummerMedium height
A Sunbeckia Marilyn black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Sunbeckia Marilyn Compact Sunbeckia rudbeckia with 5 to 6 inch semi-double yellow blooms, July to October. Other speciesMidsummerMedium height
A Sundance black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Sundance Native rough coneflower with drooping yellow rays, 3 to 4 feet, August to October. Other speciesLate summerTall
A Tiger Eye Gold black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Tiger Eye Gold Annual black-eyed Susan with golden daisies and a dark brown eye on 15 to 18 inch plants. Rudbeckia hirtaMidsummerCompact
A Toto black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Toto Compact 9-inch black-eyed Susan series with many small gold, lemon and rustic flowers. Rudbeckia hirtaEarly summerCompact
A Viette's Little Suzy black-eyed Susan flower up close on the plant Viette's Little Suzy Compact black-eyed Susan with yellow rays and dark centers, 12 to 15 inches, July to September. Rudbeckia fulgidaMidsummerCompact

How to choose

  1. Pick the species for how long you want the planting to last. NC State Extension describes Rudbeckia hirta as short-lived and Rudbeckia fulgida as a herbaceous perennial.

  2. Check the Hardiness column. NC State Extension lists zones 3a to 8b for Rudbeckia hirta and 3a to 9b for Rudbeckia fulgida.

  3. Check the deer rating on each record. It comes from the Rutgers NJAES list of landscape plants, where the B rating means seldom severely damaged.

Frequently asked questions

When do black-eyed Susans bloom?

From summer into fall. NC State Extension says Rudbeckia hirta first flowers in midsummer and continues into the middle of fall with deadheading, and gives August to October for Rudbeckia fulgida.

What is the difference between Rudbeckia hirta and Rudbeckia fulgida?

NC State Extension describes Rudbeckia hirta as a biennial or short-lived perennial that blooms the first year from seed and self-seeds, and Rudbeckia fulgida as a herbaceous perennial that spreads by rhizomes. Hirta plants reach 2 to 4 feet and fulgida plants 2 to 3 feet on those pages.

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