Common Name: black-eyed Susan
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Zone: 3 to 9
Height: 1.50 to 2.00 feet
Spread: 1.50 to 2.00 feet
Bloom Time: July to September
Bloom Description: Yellow-gold
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy, Good Cut
Attracts: Birds, Butterflies
Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Dry Soil
Culture
Best grown in average, evenly moist, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates hot and humid summers. Tolerates some drought once established. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage additional bloom. May flop and require staking in rich, fertile soils. Divide clumps every 4-5 years to maintain robust growth.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Rudbeckia is a genus of about 20 species of annuals, biennials and perennials from North America. They are grown for their showy, daisy-type flowers which usually feature a dark, central eye of disk florets ringed by yellow ray florets.
Genus name honors Olof Rudbeck (1630-1702) Swedish botanist and founder of the Uppsala Botanic Garden in Sweden where Carl Linnaeus was professor of botany.
‘American Gold Rush’ is a naturally compact cultivar (a bit more compact than 'Goldsturm') with narrow, 2 inch wide hairy foliage bred for its resistance to septoria leaf spot. Gorgeous bright, yellow-gold flowers bloom from July to September. The cultivar has smaller foliage and shorter height compared to its seed parent, Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii. US Plant Patent PP28,498 awarded October 3, 2017 to Intrinsic Perennial Gardens.
Problems
Watch for aphids, powdery mildew, downy mildew, and septoria leaf spot. Susceptible to aster yellows disease.
‘American Gold Rush’ offers improved resistance to septoria leaf spot.
Uses
Massed or grouped in mixed perennial borders, cutting gardens, cottage gardens, and native plantings. Suitable for use in large containers. Excellent flower for fresh cut arrangements.