Rudbeckia maxima

Rudbeckia maxima, also known as Great Coneflower or Giant Rudbeckia, is a stunning, perennial plant of impressive size, honey-bearing, essential in a natural garden. Luxuriant and highly original, it is adorned with large, pure and vibrant yellow flowers, similar to daisies, with its petals gently trailing around a very prominent dark cone. They bloom from September to November if the weather is mild, above a magnificent, spreading, silvery blue-green foliage. Loved by insects and birds, this wild-looking plant will be appreciated by gardeners at the back of borders, when, in autumn, its sunny flowering and unusual foliage blend with flamboyant bushes. In cool, sunny locations, it can reach gigantic proportions.

Rudbeckia maxima belongs to the Asteraceae family. This tall perennial, native to the central and southern United States, grows wild in various locations such as wooded areas, wet meadows, pastures, and along roadsides in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas. This plant is a conqueror, both highly adaptable and truly original. It forms a bushy clump of sturdy, erect stems that can easily reach a height of 150cm (59in), with a spread of 60cm (24in). Its foliage is surprising, which is why this perennial is called Cabbage Leaf Coneflower across the Atlantic. Its broad, thick, waxy, silvery blue-green leaves, sometimes 30cm (12in) long, are larger towards the base of the stem. The resulting clump also resembles a giant annual poppy. When the flowering appears in late summer, the show continues, just as surprising: at the ends of the long stems, solitary, daisy-like flower heads of bright yellow, 6cm (2in) in diameter, with slightly trailing ligulate petals, surround a very prominent central cone, dark brown with honey-coloured reflections. The seeds left in place attract birds, feeding goldfinches and tits in early winter.

Take advantage of the strong presence of Rudbeckia to associate it with short-lived flowering plants within a cottage garden-style mixed border. Choose varieties with softer, almost pastel shades to calm or even tame its conquering yellow. Positioned in the background, it will be most effective with English roses ('Winchester Cathedral', Eglantine), climbing vines (Clematis 'Grace'), perennials ('Silver Queen' Artemisia, white valerian, 'Alabaster' Agastache and bergamot), and dahlia bulbs ('Bishop of Dover' and 'Leicester' varieties). Planted en masse in front of shrub borders, Rudbeckia maxima will be magnificent when combined with the autumn foliage of deciduous ~Euonymus, Cotinus, Hydrangea quercifolia, Parrotia persica...