Autumn Range of Rudbeckia

Our fall Rudbeckia line is grown in a harvest-themed palette

Native American Rudbeckia blooms profusely and lasts a long time—all it asks for is plenty of sun and it’s good to go until frost. We’ve grown our autumn line with a harvest-themed palette in mind, rather than the bright yellows that dominate the summer. For fall we’ve mixed in golden, red, and bronze tones to warm the pot.

Native Rudbeckia works best in a natural setting 

Remember: these are free and easy plants—they look best in a more naturalized setting, like a meadow or cottage garden. Our cultivars cover a range of heights to fit in the back, front, or middle of a design.

We have seven Rudbeckias in our fall lineup (only three are dwarfs):

‘Autumn Colors’

‘Autumn Colors’ is a beautiful bicolor—each flower is a little bit different than all the others. Look closely and you’ll see shades of scarlet, orange, gold, bright yellow, maroon, bronze-red, and brown. These warm shades help us ease into fall décor and away from the heavy pinks and purples of summer. It grows about 20–24 inches tall, so these are large-size flowers on a mid-size plant.

‘Cherry Brandy’

‘Cherry Brandy’ takes us in a unique direction for a Black-Eyed Susan. Deep cherry red petals surround a dark chocolate center on flowers that measure 3–4 inches across. It makes a striking addition to fall displays, alone or when mixed with more standard varieties in yellow and gold. Plants reach about 2 feet tall.

‘Indian Summer’

‘Indian Summer’ is a particularly showy Rudbeckia with extra large, golden yellow flower heads. Blooms can measure up to 9 inches wide—they’re truly eye-catching. It grows pretty tall, around 1–3 feet, so we usually use ‘Indian Summer’ toward the back of a design.

‘Prairie Sun’

‘Prairie Sun’ is another unique variety—it has a pale green eye. Golden apricot petals surround the pale green and fade to yellow at the tips. We use this Green-Eyed Susan when we want to lighten the look and add a touch of the unexpected. Flowers measure about 5 inches in diameter and plants grow to about 3 feet tall.

Dwarf varieties from the Toto series have big, bold blooms

Now, dwarf Rudbeckias of the hirta species have seen strong sales year after year and we’ve been happy with our selections from the Toto series. These varieties only grow about a foot tall but their flowers are still big and bold. Holding up these oversized daisies are strong, stout stems, and they must whistle while they work because the plants are known for their heavy bloom counts.

‘Toto Gold’

‘Toto Gold’ is monochromatic with bright golden yellow petals surrounding a deep brown cone. This is a classic upturned Black-Eyed Susan with cupped petals.

‘Toto Lemon’

‘Toto Lemon’ has large, light lemon yellow petals surrounding a prominent chocolate brown cone. It is known for its sheer proliferation of blooms.

‘Toto Rustic’

‘Toto Rustic’ is a bicolor with a dark chocolate cone surrounded by a ring of rich mahogany-red. Sometimes we get a hint of orange as the dark red gives way to golden yellow petal tips. It’s an eye-catching combination of gold and brown that helps to tie other seasonal design elements together.

Nectar-rich Rudbeckia keeps bees, butterflies, and songbirds happy

Keep in mind that Rudbeckia is a pollinator-friendly plant, attracting bees, butterflies and songbirds to the autumn landscape. Incorporating these nectar-rich varieties gives a boost to the local ecosystem so we try to use them as much as possible. Dried seed heads continue to feed the birds right into winter, keeping the interest going as long as possible.

‘Prairie Sun’