“American Gold Rush” celebrated rudbeckia

In the Garden
Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     Horse racing fans know that a triple-crown winner is a rare thing.  It takes a very special three-year-old thoroughbred to win the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness, and it just does not happen very often.  This year, for the first time ever, there is a triple-crown winner in the horticultural world.  The National Garden Bureau has named 2023 the Year of the Rudbeckia in the perennial plant category.  This coincides with high praise for a particular rudbeckia in joint trials by the All-America Selection Association and the Perennial Plant Association.  Such high praise of an easily-propagated plant means that many gardeners will be growing this celebrated plant this year, and for good reason.
     This celebrated plant is a black-eyed Susan tagged as “American Gold Rush.”  The nativar (a cultivated variety of a native plant) was developed at Intrinsic Perennial Garden in Illinois, which is good news for Hoosier gardens.  Since our conditions are very similar to those found in our neighboring state, we can be assured this plant will perform well in Hoosier gardens.  In general, rudbeckias are considered easy-to-grow plants.  Once established, they usually are drought tolerant and they are not bothered by insects.  Even deer tend to leave them alone, unless there is nothing else to eat.  The one bothersome pest has been a fungal disease known as septoria leaf spot.  This disease causes the leaves to develop black spots, and while it rarely kills the plant, it will make it rather unattractive by late in the season.  However, American Gold Rush has exhibited a high level of resistance to this fungal disease, winning high praise in the trial gardens.  The other complaint that gardeners have with rudbeckias is that they often become rangy and fall over.  American Gold Rush is more compact than the wild black-eyed Susans and most of the older cultivars, standing only 22 to 27 inches tall.  That makes the plants less prone to flopping.  If the plants have room, they will bush out to around 40 inches.
     American Gold Rush will be covered with 3-inch yellow blooms from July until frost, as long as the plants are dead-headed.   Individual flowers will last several weeks, so dead-heading is not a great chore.  The flowers are described as having an arching ray and a reddish halo, surrounding a deep chocolate cone.  Native plant purists often contend that cultivars lack the nectar value of the natives, but that does not seem to be the case with this nativar.  Bees, butterflies and other nectar-feeders flock to the blooms, and the seeds in the cones provide food for birds and other wildlife.  The leaves and stems of the plant are covered with hairs, giving the plants a silvery sheen when in the sunlight.  The hairs also account for the deer resistance and the resistance to fungal disease.
     American Gold Rush is worthy of a place in any pollinator garden.  It combines well with other native plants and nativars, especially with grasses like little blue stem.  It would do well in a meadow with sedges and daisies.  While it likes the sun, it will tolerate light shade, so it will do well at the edge of a wooded area.  Good drainage is a must, but newly-planted specimens will benefit from supplemental watering during dry spells.
     American Gold Rush has actually been around for a few years.  The trials at the Chicago Botanical Gardens have given it superior marks over three years.  Since it is not a brand new cultivar and is touted as easy to propagate, there should be plenty of growers lined up to offer this plant come spring.  It may be a little pricey, due to the accolades the plant has received, but it should not be difficult to find.  I hope to give it a spot in my meadow at Sandhill Gardens.  As with most meadow plants, it will look best grown in groups of three to five plants.  Look for this plant to be available by late spring.  They will go quickly, so buy what you need when you find the plants for sale.