I've got a lot of the traditional "Black-Eyed Susan" Goldstrum and they are a great mainstay plant. I purchased a mini variety a couple years ago, but they grew almost as tall as the Goldstrum. You can't go wrong with this plant in your garden. Some people grumble about its propensity to reproduce, but you can keep on top of that. I also grow Prairie Sun and some other hirtas, they have a much larger flower head, some have reddish tints and they are taller. Don't deadhead the hirtas in the fall, let the seedheads fall off on their own over winter and chances are you'll get a few volunteers the next spring. I always do. Definitely worth it.

The only Rudbeckia I have is R. maxima, a spectacular native with huge, collard like blue-green basal leaves. The flowers with their huge cones appear on 6-8 foot stalks. Everyone asks about this wonderful plant.

One of the best is an annual for me, but easy to start to seed, R. 'Indian Summer':
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Other noteworthy ones are R. 'Goldsturm' (which the birds have planted all around), R. 'Herbstonne' (great August bloomer for me), and R. maxima.

I have the others mentioned in previous posts and I put in a single plant of Henry Eilers last fall. Everything I've read about it tells me it should be happy in my zone 4 garden. It has rolled or quilled petals. I guess I;l just have to wait and see.

Very pretty pic spazzycat! :) What is the silver-grey foliage plant with the pinky tubular flowers (in the bottom right corner)?

I love the Gloriosa daisies. They are annuals, but they are very easy to start from seed and, I think, have the prettiest blooms of any rudbeckias I have seen.

I would grow Rudbeckia, Herbstonne, for the foliage alone. It's a late summer/early fall bloomer and has nice blooms, though tall.

I love Indian Summer, but it peaks in July and then melts away in our heat. It's too expensive for such a short show. It may very well do much better for you, though, farther north.

Finally, I second the motion for Rudbeckia Maxima.

I love "indian summer", "cherokee sunset" "irish eyes", "prairie sun", "goldsturm", triloba and laciniata "hortense" (which I know as the common name goldenglow). I grow all of these as well as some unknown varieties, and I get a show from June until November nonstop.

I love all of the rudbeckia family! I have Goldstrum and I always make sure to collect seeds from my gloriosa Double Gold but it always seems to reseed it self pretty well. These winter sow VERY easily. I am planning to winter sow Hot Chocolate, Capuccino, Prairie Sun, and some others that I have added to my seed collection this year. I was unable to get any Indian Summer seeds yet though. Anyone here have some for trade?

grey-lady, that is Dicliptera suberecta. The flowers are actually orange. This is a great plant if you can keep the deer snouts off of it. Very drought-tolerant and undemanding, but I think it's only hardy to zone 7 (maybe zone 6 since it's never displayed any semblance of tenderness in my zone 7a garden). Oh and hummingbirds love it.

I've had Goldsturm in my front yard for a couple of years. I love it, it's very tough and blooms for a long time!

I forgot to collect seeds in the fall. Does anyone know if they'd still be viable (if I can find any left on the plant)? I'm in zone 5 and obviously we've had a cold winter and lots of snow. Or do seeds have to be collected in the fall? I guess I have nothing to lose by trying.

Turquoise, Goldsturm is a very hardy perennial. I've seen it listed as good in zones 3-8. I've had mine for several years and we had some minus 12 temps for several nights in a row during a couple of those winters. You don't need to collect seed, you should be able to divide your plants this Spring if you want to. I love the color because it's so nice and bright and they do have a long bloom season.
Enjoy!

Kat

I brought just a couple of footings to our new home in August 2001, and, just in case, went back to our old home to gather seeds in the fall. I never did have to use those seeds and every year my gardens are blessed with newbies. The plants usually last a couple of years but reseed nicely so it looks as though they are perennials in the gardens.

At times I get 'special' ones, like these...

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I feel like the only person in the world who CAN'T grow Goldsturm Rudbeckia. Last year we put in a bunch of perennials, and these 3 plants were the ONLY ones that did not make it the summer. They wilted flat to the ground in the heat, I couldn't water it enough. They would perk right up after a watering, but even once a day wasn't doing it. They looked absolutely terrible. They never flowered. I managed to save one and get it to look healthy when I moved it to a container, but then the #@%$# condo landscapers came into our yard(we live in a condo townhouse complex) with their leafblowers and broke it(that is why there is a lock on our gate, because that is never happening again). I get so upset when I read how fool proof it is, when they were just disasters in my garden. I also got these plants from a very reputable nursery, where we got all our other plants, and spent $15 each..so that was a bit of an ouch to lose them all.

The funny thing is here I was worried about the brand new David Austin rose I had put in, and it did wonderfully, bloomed 3 times, despite the lack of rain and heat of last summer. So I don't know if it was me, the plants, or just bad luck!

Artsygirl, occasionally plants are weird like that. I got my Goldsturm at a spring plant swap and they were big divisions so they bloomed that year. They are pretty durable except I'm moving mine this year because they are in the driest sunniest corner of my yard, near the street. We had moderate drought last summer and the Goldsturm tolerated some drought but not that much. They were looking pretty tired by the end of summer. I thought they would look nice over next to the red Monarda.

Tiffy those double ones with the red center are really pretty! What are those - Gloriosa daisies?

Love the 'Indian Summer' too, wish I had some seeds! But managed to scrounge up some seeds after buying and trading for a few. I'm going to winter sow -

Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun', 'Irish eyes', 'Gloriosa', 'Cappucino'
Rudbeckia triloba
Rudbeckia amplexicaulis

Terrene,

You'd have to ask the expert - Ma Nature - as to what they truly are, but I've heard them referred to as Gloriosa Daisies.

I winter sowed Prairie Sun a couple of years ago but didn't get anything. It certainly is a nice one! Hope you meet with success.