Susie Clear Yellow Black-Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata 'Susie Clear Yellow')
thun-BER-jee-ah ah-LAY-tah 'Susie Clear Yellow'

Annual (usually grown as an annual near you) Vine in the Acanthaceae Family
Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata) is a fast-growing, twining tropical vine native to East Africa, grown for its abundant, trumpet-shaped flowers typically in shades of orange and yellow with a dark central eye. Botanically a tender evergreen perennial (hardy only in zones 10-11), it is grown as a vigorous flowering annual in Chicago, readily climbing trellises, fences, and other supports, or trailing and sprawling without one. It blooms continuously from planting through frost with no deadheading required, tolerates summer heat well, and attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.

Pros

  • Fast-growing, easy-care vine that climbs trellises and supports readily
  • Continuous summer-long bloom with no deadheading needed
  • Heat tolerant and attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, and pollinators
  • Botanically a tender perennial, simply grown as a vigorous annual in Chicago

Cons

This plant is probably not winter-hardy outdoors where you live.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 3 - 8 feet tall. 3 - 6 feet wide.
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium
Zones 10a - 11b (Usually hardy to 30° F)
Tags Annual, Deciduous, Full Sun, Medium, Medium, Partial Shade, Partial Sun
Bloom Period Seasonal bloomer
Flower Color

Photos of This with...

Whitespire Gray Birch, Flutterby Petite Snow White Butterfly Bush, Golden Spirit Smoketree, Kelvin Floodlight Dinnerplate Dahlia, Mesa Yellow Blanket Flower, Mexican Tulip Poppy, Croftway Yellow Sovereign Cape Fuchsia, Lemon Coral Stonecrop,
 
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Pricing and Availability History

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


Estimated Recipe Cost

The cost of this recipe's ingredients will vary depending on the season and the sizes and varieties you select.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!