Autumn Sun Coneflower

The Autumn Sun Coneflower (Rudbeckia nitida 'Herbstsonne') is a summer-blooming perennial with a unique greenish cone, giving it the nickname Green-Eyed Coneflower. These raised centers are surrounded by long, brilliant yellow petals that droop from a large green cone!

This giant resembles their Black-Eyed Susan cousins and really shows off their Sunflower family relations due to Autumn Sun being one of the tallest of the Rudbeckia! Herbstsonne is a selection of a native, and some say it is a hybrid of Rudbeckia laciniata. This native cultivar will grow to impressive heights and form upright, branching stems!

Autumn Sun does not need staking and holds its blooms upon sturdy stems for pollinators to light upon and stand tall in your wildflower bouquets! The 2-3 inch wide, showy, golden-yellow Daisy-like blooms show off from summer until frost! Forming politely spreading clumps, these back-of-the-border giants shine like the sun!

Cold and heat tolerant, xeric plants, perennial Rudbeckia grow throughout USDA growing zones 3 to 9. The towering yellow blooms can reach 6 feet high and spread to cover large areas. In fall, leave the dried blooms standing so songbirds can enjoy the seeds in the raised cones. Then, the dried blooms catch and sculpt light snowfall for much-needed winter interest.

Planting and Application:

This hardy perennial is excellent in borders or naturalized gardens! Autumn Sun will be a real eye-catcher once it reaches its full height! Plant in the back of the border with Buddleias, Joe Pye Weed, and Ornamental Grasses. Blending into wildflower and wildlife gardens is where Autumn Sun really helps the ecology and biodiversity of your landscape.

Rudbeckia attracts butterflies, especially endangered Monarchs! Feeding pollinators in the crucial late-season months with pollen and nectar-rich blooms when migratory and hibernating beneficial insects need it most! Autumn Sun also provides food for birds in the winter once the raised center cones go to seed! Providing you with winter interest!

Pretty enough for Cottage Gardens, but also tough enough for Rock Gardens and the sun-drenched hell strip along sidewalks and driveways. Plant in masses with other hardy perennials throughout tricky slopes and hard-to-mow hillsides, spreading to slow erosion and driving rain.

• Tallest Rudbeckia - Brilliant Yellow Petals & Raised Centers!
• Robust Green Foliage & Upright Growth
• Attracts Wildlife & Pollinators
• Dark-Green, Rough-Textured Foliage
• Massed Plantings, Cut Flowers, Containers & Sunny Beds & Back of the Border

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Plant in full sun for the best flowering and strongest growth. They need at least six hours of sun a day! Well-drained soil is important as well since the roots will rot in soggy soil. Pay close attention to watering the first season, but in-ground plants will become drought-tolerant once established. However, we do recommend that you protect your investment in extended drought by applying supplemental water as needed. These perennials appreciate 3-4 inches of arborist mulch over the root system to further protect your plants.

Leave the perennial tops up overwinter for protection and visual interest. Birds peck at the seeds, too. You can also deadhead the spent flowers if reseeding is an issue. Prune them down in early spring to an inch or two from the ground. Add flowering plant fertilizer or a top-dressing of compost at that time, if desired. Divide clumps once they get too wide in either spring or fall.

• Incredibly Hardy in Full Sun
• Widely Adaptable - Any Well-Drained Soil Type
• Rugged & Drought Tolerant Once Established
• Prune Spring Or Fall
• Mildew Resistant
• Cold-Hardy, Heat-Resistant & Deer Resistant

Order the tallest and most impressive of the family when you order the Autumn Sun Coneflower from Nature Hills today! It will feel like you've planted rays of sunshine in your landscape!