Black-eyed Susan and Native Grasses

Everyone Loves Black-eyed Susans

The upright ‘Standing Ovation’ little bluestem has striking blue-green foliage with purple leaf tips. In late summer, the blades develop shades of purple at the base. ‘Standing Ovation’ contrasts beautifully with yellow black-eyed Susan and deep orange lantana. You can also plant it with summer-blooming ‘Autumn Joy’ stonecrop, coneflower and goldenrod.

Everyone loves black-eyed Susans. It is a carefree, native perennial with long-blooming, golden yellow daisy-like flowers that cover the plant from late summer through fall. The popular ‘Goldsturm’ variety (Rudbeckia fulgida var. Goldsturm) grows 24-36 inches tall. Easy to grow, the cheery flowers, with dark central ‘eyes’, attract pollinators and the plentiful seedheads feed songbirds in winter. Full sun to part sun. USDA Zones 3-9.

Look for ‘American Gold Rush’ black-eyed Susan. It won the Perennial Plant Association 2023 Perennial Plant of the Year.

The variety, ‘American Gold Rush’ black-eyed Susan, won the Perennial Plant Association 2023 Perennial Plant of the Year. It is compact, growing 22-27 inches tall. Three inch wide flowers cover the plant and it has a silvery cast due to the small hairs which cover the stem and leaves. These hairs help make ‘American Gold Rush’ plants disease resistant.

‘American Gold Rush’ black eyed Susan tolerates humidity and wet sites. Its fuzzy, disease-resistant leaves on a compact, rounded form, has masses of classic gold and black blooms. Love sun. Good for cutting. Zones 4-9 Photo courtesy of Monrovia.com.

‘Goldsturm’ and ‘American Gold Rush’ black-eyed Susans pair well with the native prairie grass cultivar, ‘Standing Ovation’ little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Standing Ovation’). This outstanding selection grows 3 to 4 ft. tall and has strong, upright stems so the grass blades do not flop over. Its soft blue-green color is its calling card. And, in fall, ‘Standing Ovation’ turns a fiery red and orange. It has a deep root system, likes full sun and lean soils, so it does well on dry hillsides. Its silvery white seeds persist through winter, a food source for birds. Deer resistant. USDA Zones 3-8.

Goldsturm Black Eyed Susans light up a part shady corner. It is paired with ‘Blue Star’ juniper on the right and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ on the left.

You can also plant both black-eyed Susan varieties next to the native grass, prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis). It is especially good looking when ‘Gold Rush’ black eyed Susan is planted with the dwarf dropseed cultivar, ‘Tara’. This selection grows 18-24 inches high in an upright vase-like habit. ‘Tara’ has narrow blades and features airy plumes of fragrant flowers in summer. USDA zones 3-9. Leave the grass uncut through the winter.

The fine-textured foliage of the compact ‘Tara’ prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis ‘Tara') is a striking contrast to the yellow black-eyed Susans. ‘Tara’ grows just 18-24 inches high making it perfect as an edging, as shown here. Photo by Laura McKillop.

I hope this reminded you about the delightful Black Eyed Susan and how it energizes any kind of planting. And the birds will thank you!

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