I have obtained Prairie Sun, and Tiger Eye Gold, but still looking or the others or other things on my wish list. Tammy

I saw it at my favorite garden center and it looks similar to black eye susans but is large flowers..I have the double sun-gold rudbeckia..that I rec'd the seeds in the Wintersowing swap one year and it has double layers of petals on top of each other and large brown eye..It has done so well and I would love to find some more like it. The Tiger's eye were smaller than the one I have. I definately will be saving the seeds from it. When it first started putting out buds, Bambi had a midnight snack and I thought I'd be doomed for flowers but it rebounded and it has lots of flowers and it has been a favorite perennial this year with the exception of my daylilies that I just planted Sept. 2011 that I rec'd at plant swap. Rudbeckia's will last a long time, and can tolerate drought conditions..easy to grow.

Actually, a lot of sites list ALL rudbeckia hirtas as annuals. For me, zone 6, I'm lucky if they last 2 years. Generally they do return for a second year, bloom their heads off, then suddenly die. Sometimes they last till I yank them in fall but often bolt around August of the second year. The few that survive to year 3 are poopy and bloom little. I prett much treat them as biennials and yank them if they make it thru the whole second summer. For anyone trying cherry brandy for the first time, be patient. Don't pass judgement until they've been blooming for a few weeks. Mine were pretty ugly, I thought, when they first opened. After they were open a few days the colors changed and I ended up really liking them For a long-lived rudbeckia, I think only Goldsturm can make that claim. Karen

Well I'm not up north, but I am far enough west to get plenty of wicked winter prairie winds. I've had it two years and so far it is thriving. The first winter we had sustained -20 degree weather and no snow cover. Maybe someone else way up north can chime in.