Little Goldstar Black-Eyed Susan

Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Little Goldstar’ PP22,397

Description & Overview

Little Goldstar Black-Eyed Susan is an ultra-compact profuse bloomer, supporting as many as 80 flowers. Handles heat, humidity, cold, and drought once established.

Core Characteristics

Suggested Uses:

Little Goldstar Black-Eyed Susan is an excellent choice for sunny locations, including borders and small beds. Its also a great option for low maintenance beds and butterfly gardens, as well as having a great cut flower.

Little Goldstar Black-eyed Susan

Wildlife Value:

Like other plants in the Asteraceae family, Little Goldstar Black-Eyed Susan provides nectar for hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. The dried seed heads also provide food over winter for birds.

Maintenance Tips:

The dried flowers of Little Goldstar Black-Eyed Susan can be cut back after blooming, or left up over winter for interest and bird seed. Clean up dead leaves in spring after frost.

Pests/Problems:

While an improvement over Goldsturm Rudbeckia, Little Goldstar Black-Eyed Susan may get leaf spot or powdery mildew when sited in areas with too much moisture or not enough sun. Septoria Leaf Spot, Angular Leaf Spot, and Powdery Mildew are mostly cosmetic diseases for Rudbeckia and can be managed with cultural controls.

Leaf Lore:

Little Goldstar Black-Eyed Susan is an improvement over the Goldsturm variety. Its compact habit makes it ideal for smaller beds where it can’t be allowed to crowd out other plants. Little Goldstar Black-Eyed Susan also has improved resistance to black fungal spot and does not flop like taller Rudbeckia varieties.

Rudbeckias are members of the Asteraceae family, along with asters, daisies, coneflowers, and sunflowers This particular genus is unique to North America with many different species and subspecies (R. hirta, R. fulgida, R. lacinata, R. nitida, R. subtomentosa, etc.) found throughout the United States and Canada. Many members of the Asteraceae family have composite flowers, meaning that what appears to be a single flower can actually contain hundreds (or even thousands!) of smaller flowers grouped together.

Companion Plants:

Little Goldstar Black-Eyed Susan pairs well with other compact, drought tolerant plants like Coneflowers, Little Spire Russian Sage, Montrose White Calamint, and Butterflyweed.

LITTLE GOLD STAR BLACK-EYED SUSAN BENCHCARD