Monarch butterflies are delightful summer visitors which are attracted by the blooms of Rudbeckia among other perennial flowers. There are several varieties of Rudbeckia giving a wide choice of color and flower shape so it is a case of experimenting to see which grows best in your location. The three Rudbeckia are described in an article by Margaret Roach which I found on her A Way To Garden website.
ONCE MORE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES shared the joy of July-through-September Rudbeckia season with me. Now, sadly, those butterflies are fewer here, but the biggest, most giving Rudbeckia I grow, ?Herbstsonne,? keeps putting out its flowers like a beacon, just in case they show up in droves again. With it as inspiration, in recent years I tried two new-to-me Rudbeckia: ?Henry Eilers,? and ?Prairie Glow.?
Whether we call them black-eyed susans or coneflowers, there are a couple of dozen species of Rudbeckia, an American genus in the Compositae or Asteraceae or simply ?Daisy family? that has produced many popular garden perennials, biennials and even annuals.
I long ago stopped growing ?Goldsturm,? from the species R. fulgida, probably the most familiar Rudbeckia of all. Like many gardeners, I planted lots when ?Goldsturm? was first popularized (along with Sedum ?Autumn Joy? and purple coneflower, remember?) and guess I OD?d on it. A good plant, but here are three I like better:
rudbeckia ?herbstsonne?
MY LONGEST Rudbeckia relationship has proven to be ?Herbstsonne,? whose name translates as autumn sun and earned a Royal Horticulture Society Award of Garden Merit in 2002. Whether it is Rudbeckia nitida or?Rudbeckia laciniata or a hybrid of the two, I do not know; depends who you ask.
It has been with me more years than I can recall?certainly a decade-plus, and probably more like 15. What is now a big clump reliably erupts around July at the far side of the property, on a direct axis from where I work all day. Though I sit more than 100 feet away, there is no missing this 6-plus-footer with months of vivid yellow flowers.
I am a keen gardener and so created Garden Pics and Tips for people who love gardens and enjoy great pictures of plants and gardens. Also covered are practical tips on all aspects of gardening.
Beautiful