Rudbeckia fulgida, com-monly known as black-eyed Susan, is one ofthe most recognizableperennials in today’s

landscape. The popularity of theblack-eyed Susan dramaticallyincreased after the Perennial PlantAssociation named Rudbeckia fulgida‘Goldsturm’ the 1999 Plant of the

Year for its landscape performanceand desirable characteristics.

Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Pot of Gold’,selected as a seedling from rud-beckia ‘Goldsturm’, is an improvedselection of an already proven culti-var. Like its parents, ‘Pot of Gold’delivers an impressive, long-lastingdisplay of golden-yellow, daisy-likeflowers with distinctive dark-brown central cones. The upright,branching stems are topped withnumerous solitary, vivid, golden 3-inch blooms that are slightly largerthan its parents.

‘Pot of Gold’ performs wellacross a wide portion of the UnitedStates throughout USDA HardinessZones 4-9 and AHS Heat Zones 9-2.This rudbeckia prefers full sun;although in the South, it performsbest when some partial shade isprovided. In the landscape, ‘Pot ofGold’ is slightly shorter than‘Goldsturm’, reaching 20-24 incheshigh. Black-eyed Susan is anAmerican native commonly used asaccent and border plants and inmass plantings; it also makes anexcellent cut flower.

Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Pot of Gold’ is apatented plant; self-propagation isprohibited at this time.

ProductionRudbeckia performs best when

grown in a moist, well-drainedmedium with a pH between 5.8 and6.4. Due to its large size when flow-ering, most growers produce ‘Pot ofGold’ in 1-gal. or larger containers.Each plug should be planted so itsoriginal soil line is even with or justbelow the surface of the new con-tainer’s growing medium.

Water as needed when plantsare young and becoming estab-lished. Once they are large, theplants will require more frequentirrigations, as they will dry outrather quickly. Under stressfulgrowing conditions, such as warmtemperatures and high light levels,they wilt very easily. Generally, ifthey are watered within a reason-able amount of time after they havebegun to wilt, they will recoverquickly if the water stress was notsevere. In extreme cases, leaf injury,such as leaf necrosis or tip burn,may occur. When irrigation is need-ed, water thoroughly, ensuring theentire growing medium is wet ornearly saturated. It is best to onlyallow the growing medium to dryslightly between irrigations.

Black-eyed Susans are moderatefeeders. Fertility can be deliveredusing water-soluble or controlled-release fertilizers. Growers usingwater-soluble fertilizers either applyat high rates (200-300 ppm) of nitro-gen as needed or feed with a constantliquid fertilization program usingrates of 75- to 125-ppm nitrogen witheach irrigation. Controlled-releasefertilizers are commonly applied as atop-dress onto the media surfaceusing the medium recommendedrate on the fertilizer label or incorpo-rated into the growing medium priorto planting at a rate equivalent to 1-to 11⁄4-lbs. elemental nitrogen per yardof growing medium.

When marketing rudbeckia inbloom, height control strategies dur-ing production may need to beimplemented to reduce plant height.Providing adequate spacing betweenthe plants will reduce plant stretch �

Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Pot Of Gold’

5 4 GPN D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 6

This black-eyed Susan is an improved selection of a proven cultivar. These cold-beneficial plants feature long-lasting, daisy-like flowers and can be used as accent and border plants and in mass plantings.

Brought to you by

ulture onnectionc c

By Paul Pilon

perennialsolutions

‘Pot of Gold’ is slightly shorter than ‘Goldsturm’, reaching 20-24 inches in height. (Photo:visionspictures.com)

*54_PerennialSolutions.qxd 12/4/06 2:46 PM Page 54

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pests such as caterpillars, four-lined plant bugs, grasshoppers,Japanese beetles, leafhoppers,mealybugs, spider mites, slugs,spittlebugs and thrips are alsooften observed feeding on rudbeck-ia but rarely become problematic.These pests can be controlled afterthey are detected and typically donot require proactive strategies.

Plant diseases may be observedwhen environmental conditions arefavorable for their development. Themost common diseases observedattacking rudbeckia crops are downymildew and Septoria leaf spot. Aswith many perennials, the occur-rence of plant diseases can be negat-ed or greatly reduced when theproper cultural practices are fol-lowed. To control foliar diseases, it isbest to manage the environment byproviding proper plant spacing andadequate air movement, controllingthe humidity, watering early in theday (which allows the foliage to bedry before night) and, if desired, fol-lowing a preventative spray pro-gram targeting the pathogens usingappropriate chemicals.

Forcing ‘Pot of Gold’ naturally blooms in

mid to late summer. Flowering canbe achieved throughout the yearwhen following the guidelines dis-cussed below.

Rudbeckia fulgida cultivars have ajuvenile period where they will notflower until they are mature enoughto perceive the treatments necessaryfor flowering. Plants that have at least10 leaves will flower successfully,while those with less will remain veg-etative, flower sporadically or take anextended period to reach bloom.

It is recommended to grow plantsto maturity using short days or pho-toperiods no longer than 12 hoursuntil the plants have an average of atleast 10 leaves. Temperatures of 70-75° F will promote rapid develop-ment during this growth phase.Once they are mature and have beenprovided the proper photoperiodfor flowering, they will develop an

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caused by competition. Several ofthe commercially available PGRsare effective at controlling plantheight when they are applied usingthe appropriate rates, frequency andtiming. Compared to many perenni-als, the PGR rates needed to achievesufficient control are relatively high.

I recommend growers apply a tankmix of 2,500-ppm B-Nine (dam-inozide) plus 5-ppm Sumagic (uni-conazole-p). For foliar applications, itusually requires two or three appli-cations at 7-day intervals to provideadequate height control. Beginapplying PGRs when the flower

stalks are just beginning to elongateor bolt.

Pests And DiseasesGenerally, rudbeckia can be pro-

duced relatively insect free. Occa-sionally, aphids and whiteflies willbecome problematic. Other insect

ulture onnectionc c

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additional 12-15 leaves before thefirst flower bud.

Black-eyed Susans do not requirecold treatment for flowering.However, they are considered cold-beneficial plants, as flowering willoccur 2-3 weeks earlier following acold treatment. Cooling (vernaliz-ing) ‘Pot of Gold’ for a minimum of10 weeks at 35-41° F is recommend-ed. They can be vernalized as a plugor in the final container. Regardlessof the container size, be sure they arefully rooted and past the juvenilestage prior to exposing them to coldtemperatures.

They are considered obligatelong-day plants, absolutely requir-ing long days for them to flower.With photoperiods of less than 13hours, plants not receiving a coldtreatment will not flower but remainas vegetative rosettes. If plants haveundergone a cold treatment, flower-ing occurs when the photoperiod isgreater than 13 hours. It is recom-mended to provide at least 14-hourphotoperiods or night interruptionlighting when the natural photoperi-od is less than 14 hours.

The time to bloom after vernaliza-tion and the proper photoperiod is afunction of temperature. Whengrown at 68° F, ‘Pot of Gold’ willreach flowering in 12-13 weeks; whengrown at 60° F, it will flower in 16-18weeks. To obtain the best plant quali-ty, I recommend producing them at65-68° F. Plants that have not beenvernalized will take 2-4 weeks longer(depending on temperature) than thedurations specified above.

AvailabilityRudbeckia fulgida ‘Pot of Gold’ is

brought to the marketplace byDarwin Plants; a limited quantity ofplugs is available only from DarwinPlants. Finished containers may be

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ulture onnectionc cPaul Pilon is president of Perennial

Solutions Consulting, Jenison, Mich., and

author of Perennial Solutions: A Grower’s

Guide To Perennial Production, avail-

able now. The book is a guide to prop-

agation and growing containerized

perennials with chapters on media,

fertilization, insect and disease

management, weed control, propaga-

tion, forcing, plant growth regulators,

overwintering, and individual cultural

programs and schedules for many of

today's most popular perennial species.

Pilon can be reached at (616) 366-8588 or

paul@perennial-solutions.com. Get a copy of

his book at www.perennial-solutions.com.

LearnMoreFor more information related to this article, go to www.gpnmag.com/lm.cfm/gp120608

The popularity of the black-eyed Susandramatically increased after the PerennialPlant Association named Rudbeckiafulgida ‘Goldsturm’ the 1999 Plant of theYear for its landscape performance anddesirable characteristics. (Photo: PerennialSolutions Consulting)

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