Black eyed Susan care is simple: plant bare roots in full sun (6 to 8 hours) and well-drained soil, water a dormant root only when the top inch is dry, then keep soil evenly moist once growth appears. From year two, water only in long dry spells. Deadhead for more blooms and leave seed heads for winter.
This is TN Nursery's customer education site, run by TN Nursery, the third-generation family nursery in Altamont, Tennessee, growing native trees and plants since 1959. Our Black Eyed Susan Plant ships bare-root and dormant, so this guide starts where your plants do: in the box. It then follows them through their first year in the ground.
Black eyed Susan care on arrival: what bare-root plants look like
A dormant black-eyed Susan does not look like the photos. You will see a crown with a mass of roots, and little or no green on top. That is normal. The plant is resting, and its roots hold the energy it needs to leaf out once it is planted and the weather warms.
A healthy dormant root feels firm, with roots that bend rather than snap, and a crown that is solid when you press it. Roots that are mushy, smell sour, or are dried out and brittle are a sign of trouble. If yours look like that, contact TN Nursery before you plant.
- Open the box the day it arrives and check that the roots feel moist.
- If you cannot plant that day, keep the roots damp and the plants in a cool, shaded spot out of wind and sun.
- Plant as soon as you can. Bare roots should never dry out between the box and the ground.
How to plant bare-root black-eyed Susans
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Soak the roots
Set the roots in a bucket of water while you choose the spot and dig. A short soak rehydrates them after shipping.
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Pick a sunny, well-drained spot
Choose a place with 6 to 8 hours of direct sun. Black-eyed Susans handle average, clay or rocky soil, but not ground that stays soggy. In shade they grow leggy and flower less.
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Dig a hole wide enough for the roots
Make the hole wide and deep enough to spread the roots out without bending or bunching them.
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Set the crown level with the soil
The crown, where roots meet stems, should sit level with the surrounding soil surface. Too deep invites rot; too high lets the roots dry.
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Firm the soil and water in
Backfill, press the soil gently around the roots, then water deeply to settle it and remove air pockets.
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Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart
That spacing gives each plant room and keeps air moving through the foliage, which helps prevent powdery mildew.
Tip: Planting in fall? Bare-root black-eyed Susans can go in during early fall as well as in spring after frost. Water them in well, then water during dry spells until the ground freezes. New growth will show in spring.
How often do you water black-eyed susans?
In the first year, often enough that the soil stays evenly moist but never soggy. Once established, rarely. The schedule below follows a bare-root plant from planting day to its second season. Always check the soil first: push a finger in, and water when the top inch feels dry.
| Stage | How often to water | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Planting day | Water deeply right after planting | Soil settled around the roots, no air pockets |
| Dormant, before leaves appear | Only when the top inch of soil is dry | Soggy soil can rot a dormant root |
| First 4 to 6 weeks of growth | Check every day or two; water when the top inch is dry | Steady moisture while new roots form |
| Rest of the first season | Deeply about once a week without rain | Twice a week in heat waves or dry spells |
| Second year on | Only during long dry spells | Established plants handle dry weather well |
Water at the base of the plant rather than over the leaves. Wet foliage, especially late in the day, makes mildew more likely.
Deadheading for more blooms
Deadheading means removing faded flowers so the plant puts its energy into new buds. Cut each spent flower stem back to the next set of leaves. That hides the bare stem and encourages more flowering shoots.
Stop deadheading toward the end of the season if you want the plants to spread. Black-eyed Susans self-seed readily in open ground, so leaving some heads lets new plants fill in the bed.
Do I cut back black-eyed susans for winter?
You do not have to. Many gardeners leave the stems and seed heads standing through winter, because the seeds feed birds and the dark cones look good in a winter bed. Our Black Eyed Susan is listed among our birding and butterfly plants for this reason. Cut the old stems down to a few inches in late winter or early spring, before new growth starts.
If you prefer a tidy bed, you can cut stems back after the first hard frost instead. Either way, do not cut into the crown itself.
Common black-eyed Susan problems
- No green weeks after planting: a dormant root may simply be waiting for warmer soil. Keep it lightly moist, not wet, and be patient.
- Powdery mildew: a white film on the leaves. Give plants their 12 to 18 inches of space and water at the base.
- Tall, floppy stems: usually too little sun. Move plants to a spot with 6 or more hours of direct light.
- Few flowers: check for shade, and deadhead spent blooms back to the next leaves.
- Yellowing, collapsing plants: often soggy soil. Let it dry between waterings, or replant in a better-drained spot.
Good companions for black-eyed Susans
Black-eyed Susans share their sun and soil needs with Purple Coneflower, another bare-root perennial from our nursery, so the two can be cared for on the same schedule. For a fuller sunny bed, the 15 Pollinator Plant Collection bundles full-sun perennials for butterflies and other pollinators, and 15 Long Blooming Wildflowers gathers perennials chosen for a long flowering season.
Black-eyed Susan care questions
Is black-eyed Susan perennial or annual?
It can be either. Depending on the species and variety, black-eyed Susans grow as annuals, biennials or short-lived perennials. Ours is sold as a perennial. Plants that are allowed to drop seed at the end of summer also keep the patch going, because new seedlings fill in where older plants fade.
How tall do black-eyed susans get?
Height depends on the variety and the site. Most garden black-eyed Susans stand roughly 1 to 3 feet tall when in bloom. Plants in full sun grow sturdier and stay upright, while plants in too much shade stretch toward the light and may flop over by late summer.
How often do you water black-eyed susans?
In the first season, keep the soil evenly moist: check every day or two for the first weeks of growth, then give a deep watering about once a week without rain, twice in heat waves. From the second year on, established plants need water only during long dry spells.
