Rudbeckia lacinata Herbstonne
Height and a green eye are what set this one apart from the other coneflowers. Rudbeckia laciniata 'Herbstsonne', sold in English as Autumn Sun, throws flower stems well over head height, each carrying wide daisies of clear golden yellow with petals that reflex backward around a raised, distinctly green central cone. Deep green divided leaves fill the lower stems. Flowering runs February to April.
This is a plant for the very back of a border, or for a bold group in a wide bed where it can be seen over other planting. It works in prairie-style schemes with tall grasses, along a fence line, or as a temporary summer screen. Bees work the flowers hard, and the standing cones feed goldfinches into winter.
Plant in full sun in fertile soil that holds moisture through summer, and give it shelter or support, since stems this tall lean badly in an exposed garden. The clump widens steadily from the base and is best divided every three or four years. Worth knowing that the species has naturalised in parts of New Zealand, so remove seedlings you do not want.
Reaches 1.5 to 2.5 m tall in flower with a clump 0.5 to 1 m across.
Trimming: Leave the stems standing through autumn for the seed cones, then cut them to the ground in late winter. Cutting the plant back by a third in early summer produces a shorter, sturdier version that flowers slightly later and needs no staking.
Deadheading: Optional. Removing early flowers as they finish extends the display, but the cones are worth keeping for winter structure and for the birds, so most gardeners stop deadheading by March.
Fertilising: Mulch with compost and apply a balanced slow-release fertiliser in early spring. A plant putting up two and a half metres of stem in one season needs the support.
Watering: Water deeply through summer, especially from December while the stems are extending. Dry soil produces shorter stems, fewer flowers and browning lower leaves.
Pest Control: Aphids gather on the growing tips and slugs take the spring shoots. Neither is a lasting problem on a clump this vigorous.
Disease Management: Powdery mildew greys the lower foliage in humid weather or where plants are crowded. Divide regularly, allow air between plants, and water at soil level rather than over the leaves.
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