When it comes to injecting vibrant color and effortless charm into your garden, few flowers can rival the cheerful Rudbeckia.
These sun-loving beauties are a staple in many gardens for their bright, daisy-like blooms and easy-going nature.
These Rudbeckia varieties offer something for everyone.
1. Rudbeckia ‘Cherokee Sunset’
- Scientific name: Rudbeckia hirta ‘Cherokee Sunset’
- Height: 2-3 feet
- Soil: Well-draining, average to fertile soil
This Rudbeckia variety is a stunner with its semi-double to double blooms in shades of yellow, orange, and mahogany red. It’s a biennial or short-lived perennial, but it’s worth it for the explosion of color it brings to the garden.
Cherokee Sunset is heat and drought tolerant once established.
2. Rudbeckia ‘Chim Chiminee’
- Scientific name: Rudbeckia hirta ‘Chim Chiminee’
- Height: 2-3 feet
- Soil: Well-draining, average to fertile soil
This unique Rudbeckia variety has quilled petals in shades of yellow, gold, orange, and brown. The blooms resemble fireworks, adding a whimsical touch to the garden.
Chim Chiminee is a prolific bloomer and attracts pollinators. It’s a biennial or short-lived perennial.
3. Rudbeckia ‘Sahara’
- Scientific Name: Rudbeckia hirta ‘Sahara’
- Height: 2-3 feet
- Soil: Well-draining, average to fertile soil
Rudbeckia Sahara is a showstopper with its large, single blooms in vibrant shades of orange, yellow, and mahogany. The dark centers contrast beautifully with the bright petals. This variety is heat and drought tolerant once established.
It’s a biennial or short-lived perennial.
4. Rudbeckia ‘Indian Summer’
- Scientific Name: Rudbeckia hirta ‘Indian Summer’
- Height: 3-4 feet
- Soil: Well-draining, average soil
This award-winning Rudbeckia variety is known for its enormous, golden-yellow blooms with dark brown centers. The flowers can reach up to 9 inches in diameter.
Indian Summer is a biennial or short-lived perennial, but its impressive size and vibrant color make it a favorite among gardeners.
5. Rudbeckia triloba
- Scientific Name: Rudbeckia triloba
- Height: 3-5 feet
- Soil: Well-draining, average to fertile soil
Rudbeckia triloba, also known as Brown-Eyed Susan or Thin-Leaved Coneflower, is a shorter-lived perennial but is well worth growing for its masses of small, bright yellow daisy-like flowers with dark brown centers.
It self-seeds readily, ensuring a continuous display in the garden year after year. This variety is a favorite of pollinators and adds a cheerful touch to any landscape.
6. Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’
- Scientific name: Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’
- Height: 2-3 feet
- Soil: Well-draining, average to fertile soil
This popular Rudbeckia variety is known for its profusion of golden-yellow daisies with dark brown centers. It’s a reliable perennial that blooms for weeks in mid to late summer, attracting butterflies and other pollinators.
Goldsturm is low-maintenance and drought-tolerant once established.
7. Rudbeckia ‘Prairie Sun’
- Scientific name: Rudbeckia hirta ‘Prairie Sun’
- Height: 2-3 feet
- Soil: Well-draining, average soil
This lovely Rudbeckia variety has two-toned petals with a light orange ring surrounding a brown cone. The blooms are eye-catching and add a touch of whimsy to the garden. ‘Prairie Sun’ is a biennial or short-lived perennial, but it reseeds readily, ensuring a continuous display.
As you can see, Rudbeckia varieties are a delightful addition to any garden, offering a wide range of colors, sizes, and bloom times.
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Nancy has been a plant person from an early age. That interest blossomed into a bachelor’s in biology from Elmira College and a master’s degree in horticulture and communications from the University of Kentucky. Nancy worked in plant taxonomy at the University of Florida and the L. H. Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University, and wrote and edited gardening books at Rodale Press in Emmaus, PA. Her interests are plant identification, gardening, hiking, and reading.