Plant record

Black-Eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta

Black-eyed Susans make the garden look settled, as if summer has put down roots.

Rankspeciesreviewed
GenusRudbeckiaAsteraceae
Species anchorRudbeckia hirtaThis record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.
Library score89/100deep plant record

Garden timing

Start indoors 6 to 10 weeks before last frost for first-year bloom.

Transplant after hardening off; protect young plants from hard cold.

Plant intelligence

Use one square as a late-season pollinator and color anchor.

cut flowerpollinatorbeneficial insect

Lifecycle: annual

Habit: upright daisy-form annual or short-lived perennial

Height: 18-36 inches

Spread: 12-18 inches

Germination: 7-21 days

Sow depth: 0.125 inches

Bloom: summer, fall

Attracts: bees, butterflies, beneficial insects

Record score

89/100deep plant record
Taxonomy confidence94Rudbeckia hirta in Asteraceae; 2 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness861 per square with none support.
Timing and care depth922 planting windows, 55F minimum soil, 2 cautions.
Species and variety drill-down882 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence90high pollinator value.
Source readiness82Ready for 4 external lookup paths.

Species identity

This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.

ScientificRudbeckia hirtaFamilyAsteraceaeLookup namesBlack-Eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta, black-eyed susan, gloriosa daisy

Garden decision matrix

Square-foot fit1 per square
86Use one square as a late-season pollinator and color anchor. Support: none.
Season behaviorsemi-hardy
92Indoor start. Transplant. One main planting.
Care loadmoderate water
80Can overwinter or self-sow. Needs airflow in humid stretches. Soil minimum 55F.
Bed ecosystem rolecut flower, pollinator
90high pollinator value; gold, yellow, orange, bronze.
Variety depth2 options
88Short bedding strains fit tighter beds; taller Sahara/Indian Summer types are stronger cuts.

Species and variety notes

Short bedding strains fit tighter beds; taller Sahara/Indian Summer types are stronger cuts.

Saharacultivar
84small-bed fit

A modern annual rudbeckia with unusually soft tones.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.

soft colors, cut flower, annual95-110 days20-28 inches tall
Indian Summercultivar
78small-bed fit

Big, bright, and better on an edge than tucked into tiny crops.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: uses more visual space than compact utility types.

large bloom, gold, cut flower90-110 days30-36 inches tall

Companions

zinnia, basil, cosmos, marigold

Cautions

Can overwinter or self-sow.

Needs airflow in humid stretches.

External enrichment

Cached name: Rudbeckia hirta. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.

Open enrichment JSON

Data layers

FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.

API source score

Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.

USDA PLANTS Database

Plant identity, taxonomy, nativity, and conservation flags.

Source reference

GBIF Species API

Accepted scientific names, taxonomy matching, and occurrence context.

Source reference

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