Black-eyed Susan Vine
Thunbergia alata
flowerBlack-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata) is a tender, fast-growing twining vine, almost always grown as a summer annual, reaching 3 to 8 ft in a season. From summer until frost it bears a steady show of flat, five-petaled flowers in cheerful orange, yellow, or white, most with a chocolate-brown eye at the center. It is easy from seed, charming scrambling up a trellis or spilling from a hanging basket, and it is unrelated to the Rudbeckia daisy that shares the common name.
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Sun
full sun
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Water
Every 4 days
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Bloom
~70 days
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Difficulty
easy
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Lifecycle
tender perennial
Perennial in warm zones; grown as an annual where winters freeze
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Spacing
6-12 in apart
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Planting Depth
Sow seed 1/4 in deep or set transplants at the same depth
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Soil pH
6.0-7.0
Growing Details
Soil Type
Rich, medium-moisture, well-drained
Hardiness Zones
Zones 3 – 11
When to Fertilize
Light feeding every few weeks in growth
Fertilizer
Balanced general-purpose fertilizer
🌱 Growing Guide
Grow black-eyed Susan vine in full sun to part shade in rich, medium-moisture, well-drained soil. It is a tender perennial hardy only in the warmest zones, so most gardeners sow it each year, starting seed indoors about six weeks before the last frost or sowing outdoors once the soil is warm. Give it a trellis, strings, or a hanging basket for the twining stems, keep it evenly moist, and feed lightly through the season for continuous bloom. In frost-free areas it can become weedy by self-seeding, so deadhead if that is a concern. It can be overwintered as a container plant indoors.
🌼 Have a different variety?Cultivars of the same species usually share the same basic care — they differ mainly in flower color, height, and bloom form, not in how you grow them. So this guide still applies even if your exact variety isn't the one shown.
Planting Calendar
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Start seeds indoors
Mar 4
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Transplant outdoors
Apr 22
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Projected first bloom
Jul 1
JJan
FFeb
MMar
AApr
MMay
JJun
JJul
AAug
SSep
OOct
NNov
DDec
✅ Plant alongside
Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests
- Morning Glory — Another fast annual vine that combines for a mixed flowering screen
- Nasturtium — A sun-loving annual that fills the base of the support
- Sweet Pea — A cool-season climber that can share a trellis earlier in the year
🛡️ Pest & disease prevention
Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide
Stipple leaves in hot, dry conditions, especially on indoor plants; rinse foliage and raise humidity
Tiny white flies on leaf undersides; use yellow sticky traps and rinse plants
Bumps on stems indoors; wipe off and conserve natural enemies
🌸 Blooms & cutting
Black-eyed Susan vine is grown for season-long color and needs no harvest. Pinch the young tips to encourage branching and a fuller plant, and deadhead through the season, especially in frost-free climates, to keep it tidy and limit self-seeding. Cut it down after frost, or pot it up and bring it indoors to overwinter.
🥗 Nutrition & benefits
Black-eyed Susan vine is an ornamental, not edible. Its value is fast, cheerful, long-blooming color on trellises and in baskets through the whole warm season, with nectar for pollinators. Have a different variety? Cultivars of the same species share the same basic care, so this guide still applies even if your exact color is not shown.
For educational and informational purposes only — HomeSown is not medical, health, or other professional advice. Always positively identify any plant before handling or eating it; some plants, and some parts of otherwise-edible plants, are toxic. Consult a qualified professional before consuming or otherwise using any plant, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a health condition.