Rudbeckia triloba (Brown Eyed Susan) Unity Grown

This biennial, or short-lived perennial is easily grown in average, moist, well-drained soils in full sun. Will tolerate light shade, but plants may need support if grown in too much shade. Best in moist, organically rich soils. Tolerates heat, some drought and a somewhat wide range of soils. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage additional bloom and/or to prevent any unwanted self-seeding. Plants freely self-seed and usually remain in the garden and naturalize through self-seeding.

Rudbeckia triloba,  is native from New England to Minnesota south to Georgia and Oklahoma. Its daisy-like flowers (to 1 1/2” diameter) feature 6-12 yellow rays and brown-purple center disks which bloom profusely from summer to fall. Leaves are thin and rough-textured on both sides. Some of the leaves are 3-lobed (less frequently 5- or 7-lobed). Lower leaves are ovate to ovate-cordate with long petioles, and upper leaves are less rounded and sessile. Other common names for this plant include thin-leaved coneflower (for thin leaves) and three-lobed coneflower (for three-lobed leaves and species name). This plant is in part distinguished from black-eyed Susan (R. hirta) by having a more profuse bloom of smaller flowers that usually have fewer rays per flowerhead.