The Popular Summer Flower With Seeds You Can Easily Save For Free Blooms Next Season
If you're a fan of flowers that bloom during the summertime, then you're probably familiar with black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). Known for its wide, daisy-like yellow flowers with black, conical centers, this durable (albeit short-lived) plant is native to North America and famously easy to grow. In the right weather conditions, it can function as a
low-maintenance perennial that hardly needs any attention to thrive
. Elsewhere, black-eyed Susan is a lovely pick for an annual or biennial flower. It grows up to 3 feet tall and fares best in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 9. A fun fact: It's also the official state flower of Maryland, where it grows abundantly.
What you might not know about black-eyed Susan is that you can also harvest its seeds directly from your garden and set them aside for free and easy planting next season. The seeds are found in the centers of the flowers, where they dry and are easy to gather. Purchase black-eyed Susan once from your local nursery or garden center, and you can continuously reap the benefits, keeping your garden lush and full of flashy, late-blooming flowers for years on end. That's particularly good news if you live in a region where this plant won't survive the winter.
How to collect and store black-eyed Susan seeds
Black-eyed Susan's seeds cluster in its dark centers and dry out over the course of its growth season. That's why bird and other pollinators flock to this flowering plant: to nibble on those tasty blooms and seeds. To harvest them, allow the seed heads to fully dry — they should look crispy and a bit brown, while the seeds themselves will be black. Collect a few seed heads while keeping part of the stem intact. If they aren't completely dry yet, you can also pluck some of your black-eyed Susans near the seed heads and let them dry out in a paper bag.
The next step is to dislodge the individual seeds by aggressively shaking the seed heads in a closed container until they fall out. At that point, use a fine stainer to separate the seeds, and stash them in a container that seals shut, such as a plastic baggie. Store them somewhere cool and dry. They should last for a few years, which will give you time to think about when and where you want to replant them. However, the seeds are generally most viable closest to when they were harvested.
How to plant your harvested black-eyed Susan seeds
Black-eyed Susan blooms in late summer and early fall. Aim to plant (or replant!) yours in spring or fall. These fast-growing flowers love sunshine, so be sure to plant them in a spot where they'll get plenty of light for at least six hours a day. You can even grow from seed indoors in early spring and then transplant those seedlings.
To plant black-eyed Susan from seed directly in your garden or yard, cover them in a light amount of soil. You'll want to space them out a bit so each plant has ample room to grow and doesn't crowd out other flowers. Once established, this plant is quite drought-tolerant — but until then, you'll need to watch the soil and keep it consistently moist. It's also one of many self-seeding flowers that, over time, will effortlessly spread and fill your yard with color. Deadheading or dividing them every three to four years can keep your black-eyed Susans contained. (As a note: Since it's native to the United States, this flowering plant is not considered an invasive species. However, it can overtake your garden if you're too lax about monitoring its spread.)