Summer Flowers : Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’

If you’re looking for a reliable, easy to grow, summer show stopper, look no further then Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii otherwise known as Rudbeckia ‘Goldstrum’. Reliably hardy down to Zone 3 (-40) Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ brings a nice touch of color in a time where most garden perennials are burnt out. Once established R. ‘Goldsturm’ can thrive in dry hot areas, often surprising it’s grower in it’s ability to handle severe drought. The flowers are quite similar to a sunflower and begin to bloom August through September. As an added bonus, for those beyond the city deer often avoid this plant because it’s leaves have a coarse hair that is less then delicious.

Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm was discovered in the late 1930’s by a Czech botanist who accidentally stumbled upon this wonderful plant at a nursery he was working at. After he realized what he had found he brought it to his employer and eventually got it into mass production. Goldsturm translated from German to English means  “gold storm” and anyone sitting near a patch of this flashy plant would quickly agree. As to inflate this plant’s ego even further, it was named Plant Of The Year by The Perennial Plant Association in 1999.  Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ should be a staple in any drought tolerant garden.

A word to the wise for those with sensative skin. This plant has coarse hairs that can cause a bit of an itchy rash if you handle it too much. I spent much of last Friday cleaning 800 pots of this stuff and let me tell you, ant in your pants, this stuff can cause an itch.

While browsing through plants this fall skip the annual Rudbeckias and treat yourself to a worthy perennial variety, Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’.