How to Divide and Transplant Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia). –ISBUZZLE

My dogged attempt to overload my garden with more plants on a shoestring budget continues throughout the fall. Or at least as long as time permits.

One of the tasks I did this week was raising, dividing and transplanting my black eyed Susan (coneflower).

But how cheap is it if I already have the plant? Well, it took me about fifteen minutes to turn one plant into two. Three plants in fact, because I discovered an additional baby rudbeckia which I will tell you about later.

Black-eyed Susans are easily propagated by root division.

If you, too, are thinking of sharing your black-eyed Susan, read on. I will share some of my advice and the reasoning behind some of the choices I made when transplanting this beauty.

When is the best time to share black-eyed Susan?

You can divide the black-eyed Susan in the fall or spring when the plant is entering or emerging from dormancy. Do not divide it in the summer when the plant is actively growing or in the winter when the plant is already dormant. In general, rudbeckia should be divided every three to four years.

That’s what I started with. This baby rudbeckia grew into a mature plant in just over a year.

Although my rudbeckia had only been there for less than two years, I decided to pick it up, divide it and transplant it to two other beds in my garden. I originally wanted this sunken bed to have spring bulbs and summer perennials, with a few perennial herbs like hardy sage and summer savory for good measure.

But this summer I threw tomato plant scraps into that bed and they grew like weeds. They did much better here than anywhere else in my backyard.

Last summer my rudbeckia competed with tomatoes. So it was time to move.

That sealed the deal for next year, so I decided to give that bed to tomatoes and other pollinator-friendly annuals. (The spring bulbs stick around because they don’t overlap with the tomato season. And the herbs stick around too, because they grow close to the ground.)

Should I prune black-eyed Susan before dividing her?

Trimming perennials before dividing them makes them easier to maneuver; it is also particularly useful when dealing with tall, bushy plants. Once planted in its new location, the foliage of an unpruned plant will also look limp, so aesthetics are also a factor in deciding whether or not to prune.

The cut parts are not lost. I dry them and harvest the seeds before spring.

I chose to experiment with pruning and not prune my rudbeckia. So I left one of my divisions intact as the seed heads add texture and height to the garden in winter; they also attract birds that like to feed on the seeds. I prune the other plant because I wanted to collect the seeds. I plan to grow rudbeckia from seed next spring.

I had been cutting Rudbeckia flowers all summer to make bouquets for indoor arrangements, so there weren’t many seed heads left. This slow and steady death encouraged the plant to stay in full bloom for over two months.

Deadhead coneflower for summer arrangements kept it in bloom for months.

How to split black-eyed Susan?

I like to think of dividing Black-eyed Susan (and by extension most perennial root divisions) as a four-step process: prepare, raise, divide, replant.

Step 1: Prepare the new planting site first.

If you plan to replant your rudbeckia (or parts of it) in another spot in your garden, start by preparing that new spot first. Believe me, it’s easier that way. Later, you literally have your hands full.

You don’t need a deep planting hole for Black-Eyed Susan.

So dig the hole (you want to bury your black-eyed Susan at the same depth) and fill it with fresh compost. Rudbeckia can tolerate drought, but does not do well in soggy soil. So make sure the new location has good drainage. This perennial is not an aggressive spreader, so don’t be afraid to put it near other plants.

Step 2: Take black-eyed Susan.

Whether your soil is rock-solid or simply loamy, you can water your Rudbeckia well in advance to make loosening easier. My garden was already quite wet from the rain, so I didn’t pre-soak the roots.

Start by digging a trench below the plant’s drip line.

Black-eyed Susan has a lumpy root structure: it does not penetrate very deeply, but remains very compact. The easiest way to grow it is to dig a trench around the plant’s drip line (the imaginary circle just below the outer edge of the foliage). This method gives you good leverage and ensures that you get the entire root structure in one go.

After digging the trench, use the shovel to lift the clod.

Once you’ve dug around the roots, hold the stems with one hand and use a shovel to lift them from below with the other hand. I was able to do this with a hand shovel, but if your rudbeckia is larger you may need a large shovel to do the job.

Bonus baby rudbeckia hidden behind the mother plant.

When I picked up the tall black-eyed Susan, I was delighted to find a small plant next to it. This extra baby was hidden behind the mother plant, but still connected to the roots. I decided to leave this one in place, so I just cut off the root that connected it to the big rudbeckia.

Step 3: Divide the root ball.

It’s hard to know where to start when addressing this huge group.

At this point, you’re probably looking at a big ball of tangled roots and dirt. Inspect from all sides and see if the plant naturally divides anywhere near the center (or the number of parts you wish to divide). Otherwise, choose a place where you want to cut it.

I started by removing some soil to make the root structure more visible.

Start by loosening the soil.

I then used my usual secateurs to cut the roots. You can also use larger pruners if you are cutting a larger root structure. I divided black-eyed Susan into two roughly equal parts.

Then cut the roots where the plant divides naturally.

In my case, no plants return to the old planting hole. So I restocked it.

Some gardeners simply leave the plant in the ground after digging the trench and cutting the roots in place with a shovel. I prefer to lift and split with scissors, as a clean cut is better for the root structure than a torn split.

One becomes two!

Step 4: Transplant (or repot) your black-eyed Susan.

If you keep one of the new divisions in the same place, be sure to rebury it to the same depth. Black-eyed Susans don’t send up a taproot and don’t need to be buried too deeply.

A good gardening rule that works well for me is I put what I take when dividing and transplanting plants.

The uncut division goes to ground.

This means that the soil or roots you dug up are replaced with fresh compost. This helps keep the ground surface level (no depressions or depressions). It also helps ensure that the transplants get off to a good start.

So if there are any holes in the ground after removing a large pile, always fill them with garden compost.

The pruning service is also ready to go into the ground.

Where should I transplant my Black Eyed Susan?

Always transplant your black-eyed Susan in full sun, in a location that receives at least six to eight hours of sunlight during the height of summer. Rudbeckia is also susceptible to powdery mildew, so it is best to plant it in a well-ventilated area.

You also want to keep it out of prolonged humidity overhead. This is the kind you get when you place your plant under the eaves of the house, leaky gutters or the drip line of a tree.

Don’t forget to water everything you have transplanted.

End each grafting session with a generous dose of water. This will help the roots recover after being disturbed and help the soil settle.

If you’ve mastered the (really easy) art of dividing a black-eyed Susan, you’re now well equipped to divide a host of other perennials with the same root structure. Sharing is a very easy way to get more free plants.

Also check out the other easy way to get free garden plants: take hardwood cuttings.