This Plant Profile is all about rudbeckia. Plant Profiles dive deep on one plant variety. They are meant to provide you with enough information to make good growing decisions. A desire to grow gorgeous flowers is one thing. However, discerning if a particular plant is right for you and your climate is a whole other ballgame.

My intention here is to give you as much practical information to make these decisions. However, I’m going one step further and taking you completely behind the scenes to share exactly what has worked for us as well.  For this reason, Plant Profiles are broken up into what I’m calling the “Nuts and Bolts (N&B)” and “Behind the Scenes (BTS).”

If you haven’t already, please be sure to read the FFY Introduction to learn more about how Plant Profiles are organized.

Primary Sources

The primary sources for the N&B portion come from:

• Postharvest Handling of Cut Flowers and Greens: A Practical Guide for Commercial Growers, Wholesalers & Retailers (Dole, Stamps, Carlson, et al).
• Specialty Cut Flowers, 2nd Edition, Revised & Enlarged (SCF): Industry standard for both new and experienced growers on the production of annuals, perennials, bulbs, and woody plants for fresh and dried cut flowers (Allan M. Amritage and Judy M. Laushman)
• Johnny’s Selected Seeds (Johnny’s): Johnny’s has been in the business for 50 years, with a research farm dedicated to finding the best seeds and tools for farmers and gardeners
• BOSTON Ornamental Terminal Prices. Specialty Crops Market News Federal – State Market News Service, USDA (as of 14-FEB-2023
• The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive & Illustrated History (Dietz)
• The Cut Flower Handbook: Select, Plant, Grow, and Harvest Gorgeous Blooms (Ziegler & Graven)
• The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower’s Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers (Byczynski)

Zone Considerations  

• Johnny’s Selected Seeds research farm is located in Zone 5a Maine
• Lisa Mason Ziegler’s farm, The Gardener’s Workshop, is located in Zone 7a/8b Virginia
• Lynn Byczynski’s farm, Wild Onion Farm, is located in Zone 6b Kansas
• My farm, Petal Back Farm, is located in Zone 4b Wisconsin

General Information: N&B

Latin Name: Rudbeckia hirta, Rudbeckia triloba
Common Name: Black-Eyed Susan, Blackeyed Susan, Blackihead, Brown Betty, Brown-Eyed Susan, Coneflower, Gloriosa Daisy, Golden Jerusalem, Poorland Daisy, Rudbeckia, Yellow Daisy, Yellow Ox-eye Daisy
Symbolic Meanings: Justice; Pure-minded
Possible Powers: Healing
Origin: North America
Days to Maturity: 90–120 days
Life Cycle: Annual and Perennial
Spacing: 6–12″
Height: 24–60″

While there are various rudbeckias, I am mainly going to reference Rudbeckia hirta and Rudbeckia triloba, as these are the ones primarily grown for cut flower production. There are enough similarities in R. hirta and R. triloba, I decided to group them together. SCF also groups coreopsis and leucanthemum with rudbeckia, so keep that in mind if you have interest in these as well, as much of the information would apply. We primarily grow rudbeckia, but I thought it was worth mentioning🙂.

There are a few tips and tricks when it comes to getting rudbeckia right. This has a lot to do with understanding the nuances in the different varieties, especially when it comes to life cycle, cold treatment, and daylength sensitivity. Let’s dive on in!

General Information: BTS

I adore rudbeckia for a number of reasons. We grow them for cut flowers, but they’ve also become naturalized in our wildflower patch. They’re a fabulous cut flower and pollinators love them too! My only challenge with rudbeckia is that due to it’s daylength sensitivity, it flowers in summer. Yet, most rudbeckia varieties are in a color palette that aligns better with fall. I’ll share with you how I like to work around that, along with some of my favorite varieties.

Because this plant family has some variance when it comes to life cycles, it can be a little confusing. R. hirta and R. triloba are technically both short-lived perennials, though R. hirta is typically grown and treated as an annual in cut-flower production. Some R. hirta varieties will reseed but not always reliably. On the other hand, R. triloba are generous self seeders, so be conscious of this in annual beds! 

What I love most about rudbeckia as a cut flower:

• Easy to grow
• Attracts pollinators
• Popular for wildflower styles
• Varieties like ‘Sahara’ work well in high-end design and weddings
• Prolific
• Excellent vase life

But every rose has its thorn, right? Potential shortcomings:

• Very sensitive to daylength, only flowers in summer
• Little to no fragrance

Propagation: N&B 

Johnny’s recommends sowing into 72 to 50-cell plug flats 5-7 weeks before planting out. Cover seed very lightly as light is needed for germination. Bottom water or mist to avoid covering seed. For best results with R. triloba , prechill for 30 days: Place seedling flats outside or in the refrigerator and keep moist for 30 days. After chilling, move flats into a warm location until emergence. While chilling is not required, they do benefit from it. On the other hand, R. hirta neither needs nor benefits from cold treatment (though it can handle cold) (SCF). Seedlings should be grown on at 69–75F (21–24C). Both can also be direct sown–cover seeds lightly.

Propagation: BTS

While we’ve direct sown R. triloba as part of our wildflower mix, we typically grow rudbeckia as transplants, starting in 72-cell flats. You can find my Seed Sowing & Planning Spreadsheet and Propagation Cheat Sheet here.

Environmental Factors: N&B

Understanding the environmental factors that impact rudbeckia are the most crucial aspects of growing this crop successfully. Rudbeckia is a long-day flowering species, so flowering and stem elongation is highly sensitive to day length. In fact, rudbeckias require 12 hours of daylight to initiate flowering (SCF). What this means is that they either need to be planted in the fall for overwintering or in the early spring for summer flowers. Later successions, though they would be ideal with their fall colors, are usually not very successful. The plant will either fail to flower and/or grow on stunted stems. While a cold period is not required for rudbeckia, R. triloba does benefit from it. Rudbeckia requires full sun.

Environmental Factors: BTS

Because of the environmental factors that impact rudbeckias, we plant them in the fall or early spring. For any seeds that prefer a chilling period, I just keep my seeds in the freezer (this includes seeds for R. triloba, Iceland poppies, bells of Ireland, dara, delphinium, orlaya, and more).

Transplanting, Spacing, Support: N&B

Rudbeckia is a cool flower, so it can handle some cold temperatures, but the air temperature for optimal transplant growth is 60–75F (15.5–24C (Ziegler). Spacing recommendations are anywhere from 6–12″ (Johnny’s, SCF, Ziegler). Ziegler uses flower support netting on all cutting garden plantings, including rudbeckia. SCF recommends support netting only in areas where winds are high; otherwise the stems are self supporting.

Transplanting, Spacing, Support: BTS

We transplant our Rudbeckia at 6–9″ spacing (just depends what bed they’re going in). I pretty much try and get away with not using netting whenever I can, so I do not use netting on my rudbeckia. That said, I’ve only grown them in the field. However, I’d like to do an overwinter trial of ‘Sahara’ in our high tunnel for longer stems. I had intended on doing this in 2024, but other projects took precedent!

Successions: N&B

Byczynski and Ziegler note that R. hirta is daylength sensitive and will flower on tiny stems if you try and grow it in the fall. Ziegler succession plants R. hirta in the fall (to overwinter), very early spring, and spring. She has not found succession planting of R. triloba successful.

Successions: BTS

We plant rudbeckia either in the fall or the early spring for all of the reasons mentioned above.

Nutrition: N&B

Most sources state that rudbeckia require moderate fertilization levels, but can tolerate even poor soil conditions. The amount of fertilizer you should use depends on the needs of your soil.

Nutrition: BTS

We fertilize our fields organically based on soil tests, and we do not fertilize for each crop individually. I have an eBook that outlines exactly how we do this. You can find that here.

Drainage & Irrigation: N&B

If direct sowing, keep soil moist until germination. Plants prefer regular irrigation and well-draining soil but can tolerate drought and heat once established.

Drainage & Irrigation: BTS

At our farm, we have gossil-loamy sand, meaning that our soil is more sand than loam. It actually drains excessively to the point of leaching nutrients. Our biggest difficulty is keep plants irrigated, especially in dry spells. For this reason, we do have drip irrigation installed on all of our beds at the home farm, but rudbekia do not need as much water as other plants.

Pinching: N&B and BTS

Pinching is not required for seedlings (Johnny’s). However, it is advantageous to harvest very low on the stem, about 2–3 inches (Ziegler).

Bloom Period: N&B and BTS

Due to their daylength requirements, R. hirta blooms in summer, while R. triloba blooms in mid- to late-summer after the large-flowered rudbeckias are done.

Overwintering: N&B and BTS

Rudbeckia can be overwintered successfully in many regions.  Ziegler lists the winter low survival as –20F (–29C). We are able to successfully overwinter rudbeckia in Zone 4 Wisconsin.

Harvest & Post-Harvest: N&B  

Johnny’s recommends harvesting before blooms are fully open for fresh and fully open for dried. Regular deadheading increases blooms during summer production. Ziegler harvests in a wide range of stages. When pests are bad, she harvests when petals are just starting to lift, but harvests later in development whenever possible. Double blooms are required to be a little more open. Postharvest recommends cutting when the outer ring of florets is open.

While generally not a wilted flower, a small percentage of stems will wilt no matter what is done to them (SCF). Ziegler notes that she notices this with ‘Indian Summer’ occasionally. Consider waiting to bunch and remove wilted stems as necessary (Postharvest). Rudbeckia benefits from slow-release chlorine tablets and holding solution (SCF). Ziegler recommends a hydrating solution to avoid wilting when harvesting less mature blooms. For the cooler, there is little data but Postharvest reports ‘Indian Summer’ tolerates storage well with no decrease in vase life after 3 weeks of storage at 36F (2C).

Harvest & Post-Harvest: BTS

I echo Ziegler in that I harvest rudbeckia at a wide variety of stages. The difference I think is that she notes rudbeckia as a significant crop for her flower farm, whereas it is not as significant of a crop on our farm. I am typically using it for specific purposes (see design), though I’ll certainly and happily include it in weekly flowers when it fits the palette.

For this reason, if I want it for an event or particular palette, I am paying more attention to when I am harvesting it. Otherwise, it’s prioritized lower on my harvest list simply because it can be harvested a bit more open and I don’t use it as much as other flowers on a regular basis (see design for why). And although keeping them deadheaded is best for more blooms, I only worry about this if I have an upcoming use for it. Rudbeckia are so wonderful for pollinators, I don’t mind if they reap the rewards🙂

Since I really only harvest when needed, we store in our cooler for a few days at most, which is usually around 38F in summer. 

You can find my Harvest & Post-Harvest Cheat Sheet here.

Pests & Disease: N&B

While rudbeckia are generally problem free, they can have pest issues, particularly thrips and aphids. Diseases include rot, bacterial blights, botrytis, downy and powdery mildews, and verticillium wilt. For disease and pest control, see Johnny’s comparison chart.

Pests & Disease: BTS

We’ll occasionally get pests on rudbeckia, but nothing worth controlling. If I specifically need them for an event, I’ll pick them at an earlier stage to avoid bug damage if pressure seems high. If our summers are very wet and humid, plants may get powdery mildew toward the end.

Variety Selection: N&B

SCF and Ziegler note some of the following favorite varieties for cut flowers: Cherokee Sunset, Cherry Brandy, Denver Daisy, Double Daisy, Goldilocks, Indian Summer (ASCFG Cut Flower of the Year (2000) and AAS Winner (1995)), Gloriosa (AAS, 1981), Maya, Prairie Sun, Sahara, and Triloba.

Variety Selection: BTS

PBF favorites: Sahara, Triloba, Denver Daisy, Goldilocks, Indian Summer, and Prairie Sun. Hop down to design for why.

Pricing: N&B and BTS

After sifting through wholesale price lists, rudbeckia ranged from $8.29–$12 / bunch (with varieties like Sahara on the higher end).

$12 is my florist price.

Design: N&B and BTS

OK, at first glance, rudbeckia sort of screams fall. It has great fall colors, but it’s really at its best in summer. For design purposes, I think rudbeckias work best in two, almost opposite ends of the spectrum, design styles: high end and wildflower.

I mean, look at this beigy-blush palette with dahlias, silene, foxglove, jasmine, and hydrangeas. And then here in more of a brown palette and here in a peachy-berry palette (guessing camelot/dalmation peach foxglove, cherry caramel phlox, queen red line zinnias, apricot statice).

‘Sahara’ is a no brainer for high-end designs and weddings with it’s unique palette of dusty rose, light yellow, copper, burnt red, and even shades of brown (ahem, pantone’s color of the year mocha mousse?). It can have shorter stems, but still totally useable, especially for design work.

But I mean, even look at this bouquet with what looks like Cherokee Sunset rudbeckia. Even though one might look at this variety and think fall, it totally works for summer. In fact, I’m so obsessed with it, I might need it 🙂 We have so many requests for pinks and oranges, this is really inspiring design.

All rudbeckia work especially well for wildflower designs. We get requests for wildflower style a lot! Anything in the daisy family helps create that wildflower feel, even when high-end cultivated flowers are also included. Here is an elevated take on wildflower with a more muted palette.

For retail, I like to sometimes offer a few very different designs from week to week (or if a customer orders a handful of bouquets/jars). This not only allows me to play with palettes in a low-pressure way, but I think it sparks curiosity in customers. It’s like they never really know what you’re going to offer next! This doesn’t always work for some markets, but it seems to work well with mine.

While I tend toward pastel palettes, bolder, cheerful rudbeckia is a good way to mix things up. I mean, just look at this color with a variety or rudbeckias paired with zinnias, cosmos, roses, and more.

Prairie Sun works really well with early summer colors. Before I even started flower farming, I saved this photo from Floret. I just adore the use of multiple varieties for a fun summer arrangement.

Rudbeckia also work really well with pinks and oranges for that perfect summer meets fall vibe. Gorgeous Bridal Bouquet in this palette by Jennie Love.

Wrap Up

OK, my friend, that is IT for this Plant Profile. What do you think? Did you find some useful nuggets? Be sure to save a PDF copy using the buttons below, so you can always refer back to it.

Have any questions or something you want to share with me or others? I know I say this ad nauseam, but I truly believe in the power of the collective and that we all have something unique and powerful to share, so please leave a question or share a comment below. We’re all better for it, and I thank you in advance!

Cheers pal!