Rudbeckia fulgida Forever Gold

The Rudbeckia fulgida 'Forever Gold' is a beautiful compact and very floriferous variety. From June to October, dozens of solar flowers, golden yellow with a black heart, are produced at the end of upright and sturdy stems. Place this plant in full sun, in good, dry garden soil, and your borders will light up for many months!

Essential in gardens, rudbeckias belong to the Asteraceae family, just like asters, centaureas, yarrows. The species Rudbeckia fulgida, also called orange coneflower, is native to the prairies of the Eastern U.S.A, where competition, full sun, and heat are abundant. They are therefore reliable and very robust plants in the garden. They produce large 'sun' flowers throughout the summer, which are actually inflorescences: the peripheral, yellow flowers attract pollinators, while the central, dark flowers produce seeds. The slender clump has dark green, elongated and pointed leaves.

The 'Forever Gold' variety is a selection that stands out for its fairly compact habit, which will not exceed 60 cm (24in) in height and width, but above all for being very uniform, forming a well-rounded ball. Very floriferous, it produces typical flowers from June to October, with a diameter of about 10 cm (4in), numerous and carried at the end of sturdy and branched stems.

Welcoming the 'Forever Gold' rudbeckia into your garden is not difficult: it requires a sunny position and is perfectly suited to normal garden soil, properly drained and not too poor, rather chalky. If an established clump can tolerate drought, the flowering will be more beautiful if the soil does not dry out during the summer. Required plant maintenance is very limited, and simply consists of removing faded flowers from time to time. However, you can also leave them for their autumnal appeal once dry, especially since they then serve as a good food source for birds.

You will achieve beautiful scenes by mixing this plant with other prairie plants, such as Asclepias tuberosa, the yellow centaurea (Centaurea macrocephala), a more exotic touch with the Kniphofia 'Pineapple Popsicle', and the tall grasses Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' or Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal'.