Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'

Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm': The Gold Storm Every Border Needs

The black-eyed Susan every garden has, and for good reason. 'Goldsturm' pumps out golden daisies in such numbers the bees need a spreadsheet. HOLDS ITS GROUND. NEVER QUITS.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm'
• Common Name: Black-eyed Susan, orange coneflower
• Height: 60–70 cm (24–28 in)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in), slowly spreading
• Flowers: Golden-yellow daisies with dark brown to black cones, held in great numbers
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to fall (July to September)
• Foliage: Deep green, coarse, lance-shaped leaves
• Features: Seed heads feed songbirds, long-lived, 1999 Perennial Plant of the Year

Where to Plant: 'Goldsturm' is made for massing in drifts through sunny borders, meadow plantings, slopes and pollinator gardens. It handles city conditions well and performs through hot, humid summers and cold winters.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Goldsturm' at the heart of a sunny late-summer bed, with purple and red partners to set off the gold. Echinacea SunMagic® Vintage Ruby adds ruby-red coneflowers at 45 to 60 cm from June to September. Veronica 'Very Van Gogh' brings rosy-purple spikes at 46 to 51 cm in July and August. Aster 'Grape Crush' adds very dark purple asters at 66 to 76 cm in August and September, the classic fall partner for gold. Pennisetum Prairie Winds® 'Desert Plains' fills in at 90 to 120 cm with red-tipped blades that turn red and gold in fall.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun, in average, well-drained soil. Water regularly through the first season. Once established it handles dry spells, though it flowers best with occasional deep watering in drought. Leave the seed heads standing for birds and winter interest, then cut back in early spring. If you see dark spots on the lower leaves in a wet summer, that is Septoria leaf spot. Clean up the old foliage and give the plants a bit more air circulation. The clump spreads slowly by rhizomes. Divide every three to four years in spring to keep it vigorous.

History: Heinrich Hagemann, head gardener at Karl Foerster's nursery near Potsdam, Germany, spotted this plant at the Gebrüder Schütz nursery, which had received American seed by way of the botanical garden in Graz, Austria, and brought it back in 1937. Foerster named it 'Goldsturm', meaning "gold storm," and in 1999 it was named Perennial Plant of the Year.

Final Thoughts: Long-lived, drought tolerant and deer resistant, with seed heads for the songbirds. If you only own one, MAKE IT THIS ONE.