Rudbeckia laciniata 'Autumn Sun'

cutleaf coneflower

(syn. Herbstsonne)

This long-blooming butterfly (especially monarch) magnet has large, glossy, deep green, deeply cut leaves along the stems and loose clusters of clear yellow ray flowers with large green cones that darken with age. Blooms for 8+ weeks in mid to late summer. Very cold hardy.

SIZE
Rudbeckia laciniata 'Autumn Sun' LP32 - 32 per flat	Availability

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Height

5-6 Feet

Spread

3-4 Feet

Spacing

18 Inches

Bloom Color

Yellow

USDA Hardiness Zone 5-9

cutleaf coneflower Interesting Notes

'Herbstsonne' is an upright, rhizomatous, clump-forming perennial coneflower which typically grows 4-7' tall. This is a substantial plant which features large daisy-like flowers (3-4" across) with drooping yellow rays and elongated bright green center cones. Flowers bloom singly atop slender branching stems. Long summer bloom. Toothed, bright green leaves (3-6" long). 'Herbstsonne' is varyingly sold as a cultivar of either Rudbeckia nitida or Rudbeckia laciniata, however some experts maintain that it is actually a hybrid between the two species. 'Herbstsonne' is synonymous with 'Autumn Sun'. - Missouri Botanical Garden

Herbstsonne is a stately, more elegant member of the rudbeckia family. It is a big plant, growing 6'-7' tall, and with a 3'-4' spread. Its flowers are lemon yellow, rather than the more familiar gold of black-eyed susans. And the centers of these flowers are a fresh green, rather than dark brown or black (although, as the cones develop, they become more brown). Even when the flowers are not in bloom, the big foliage of this plant, growing about 5' tall, is an impressive presence in the garden, making this what garden designers call an "architectural plant." - From "Try This Rudbeckia!" by Jean Potuchek

The vertically unchallenged Rudbeckia 'Herbstonne' (also called R. nitida 'Autumn Sun') is a gem for the back of a border. It has large, gently lobed leaves and five-inch-wide blossoms. The yellow petals droop so that the green central cones stand up like noses. In my garden 'Herbstonne' grows happily in clay-based soil, rising seven to eight feet without any staking. Behind it, the deep green leaves of a tall cutleaf elderberry (Sambucus nigra f. laciniata) provide a good backdrop and make the coneflower's inflorescence sparkle. - From "Ravishing Rudbeckia" by Barbara Blossom Ashmun, Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Rudbeckia laciniata 'Autumn Sun' Growing and Maintenance Tips

Prefers average, medium to moist soils in part to full sun. Tolerates hot, humid summers, but not drought tolerant. Spreads by rhizomes, so give it room to grow. Outstanding in mass plantings, as a back-of-the-border perennial and in meadow, prairie and cutting gardens.