Cheerful Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan | Nature Hills

Meet one of the most reliable and radiant perennials you’ll ever grow – the Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’). This improved native American wildflower bursts with brilliant golden-yellow petals and bold, chocolate-brown centers that bloom for months. Each flower lasts up to two weeks, creating a nonstop show of sunshine in your garden. Butterflies, honeybees, and songbirds can’t resist it!

This P.P.A. Plant of the Year has mounds of rough, dark-green foliage that set off the radiant blooms beautifully. The sturdy stems and strong texture make it a garden classic for cut flower arrangements, while its long bloom season ensures your beds and borders stay bright well into fall. Leave the dried cones standing for winter interest – they catch the snow and provide a feast for hungry birds. A true all-season performer, this plant defines cheerful resilience in the garden.

Native to the American prairies, Rudbeckia has a rich heritage as a symbol of encouragement, endurance, and optimism. Members of the Aster family, these prairie-born perennials have long been beloved by gardeners and pollinators alike for their rugged nature and sunny disposition.

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Key Features

• Brilliant golden-yellow flowers with dark centers
• Long-lasting blooms from summer through fall
• Beloved by butterflies, bees, and songbirds
• Excellent cut flower and mass planting option
• Tough native perennial with drought-tolerant and deer-resistant qualities
• Awarded P.P.A. Plant of the Year
• Provides winter interest with dried seed heads

Landscaping Uses

This easy-care perennial brings bold color, movement, and texture to your landscape. Growing about 1824 inches tall, Goldsturm is ideal for sunny beds, Cottage Gardens, Pollinator Gardens, and container displays.

• Perfect for mass plantings and colorful borders
• Bright accent in mixed perennial gardens
• Great filler for open spots or new beds
• Ideal for naturalized or meadow-style plantings
• Beautiful in containers for porches or patios
• Pairs well with Coneflowers, Liatris, and Ornamental Grasses

Care & Maintenance

Hardy in USDA Zones 39, the Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan is an herbaceous perennial that’s both tough and rewarding. It thrives in full sun, tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, and is drought-tolerant once established. Learn more detailed tips in our Black-Eyed Susan Planting, Care & Benefits Guide. Don’t forget to order your Nature Hills Root Booster to give your plants lifelong mycorrhizal support.

• Planting Time: Spring or early fall
• Sun Requirements: Full sun (6+ hours of direct light daily)
• Soil Requirements: Well-drained soil; adaptable to loam, clay, or sandy soils
• Moisture Needs: Keep evenly moist the first year; use the Finger Test before watering
• Mulch: Apply a 34 inch layer of arborist mulch to protect roots and conserve moisture
• Fertilization: Feed in early spring with compost or balanced fertilizer for perennials
• Pruning: Deadhead regularly for prolonged blooms; cut back in late fall or early spring
• Division: Divide every 34 years to maintain vigor and expand your planting
• Special Perks: Deer-resistant, drought-tolerant, cold-hardy, low maintenance

Brighten Up Your Garden with Goldsturm!

Bring sunshine to every corner of your yard with the award-winning Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan! Its radiant blooms, wildlife value, and carefree nature make it a must-have for every sunny garden. Order your Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan from Nature Hills today and enjoy waves of golden cheer for years to come!

FAQs

Is Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan a perennial?
Yes, it’s a hardy herbaceous perennial that returns every year in Zones 39.

Does Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan spread?
Yes, it slowly spreads by rhizomes, forming larger clumps that can be divided every few years.

Do deer eat Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan?
Deer typically avoid this plant, making it a great choice for areas with browsing wildlife.

How long does Goldsturm bloom?
It blooms for several months, typically from mid-summer through early fall, with each flower lasting up to two weeks.

Should I cut back Goldsturm in winter?
You can leave the dried seed heads up for birds and winter beauty, then prune in early spring before new growth starts.

24-30″ tall x 18-24″ wide, this is at or near the top of every experts list of the best perennials of all. In fact, it won Perennial Plant of the Year in 1999. Developed in Germany, this is a hybrid of one of our native wildflowers, the Black-eyed Susan, and its one of the most useful perennials ever introduced.

As you may know, the common roadside Black-eyed Susan is named Rudbeckia hirta, and its a biennial. (We have the seed in our Wildflower Seed Section, and its a mainstay of wildflower mixtures. But its not dependably perennial.)

This is what prompted interest in the hardiest perennial species in the Rudbeckia group. (They look exactly alike) The tough native perennial Black Eyed Susan is R. fulgida, so this is the one a German hybridizer used to create the now-famous Goldsturm strain. (In German, Goldsturm means, literally, Gold Storm.)

Today, these tough, hardy, heavy-flowering plants light up our landscapes everywhere from backyard gardens to flower borders at gas stations and malls. This fantastic plant spreads slowly, is easy to divide when it grows large, and never fails with weeks and weeks of wonderful golden blooms. This is a classic perennial that every garden must have.

No-Fuss Flowers & Vivid Yellow Charm

This gold-yellow perennial is just about everything youve ever wanted out of a flowering plant! The Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan is 1999s Perennial Plant of the Year and is still one of North Americas favorites to this day. Its a vibrant-yellow addition to any landscape or patio without all the fuss of other perennials.

The Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan is a lovely, low-maintenance option for many garden styles and spaces, from borders and mixed plantings to containers and cut flower arrangements. It’s especially suited to rustic, cottage, or Mediterranean garden styles.

Blooming in mid- to late summer, the Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan provides much-needed color for your space after other flowers have faded. And itscheery blooms shine brightly against oval-shaped foliage that’s covered in textured hairs thatdeter pests like deer and rabbits.Plus, the Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan tolerates heat, humidity, and clay soils with ease, making it incredibly low-maintenance.

In the summer, the Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susans blooms attract butterflies and other pollinators. And, in the winter, it continues to improve your space, even after the blooms have disappeared. The seed heads left behind by the flowers provide food for songbirds during the winter.

Get your very own hardy, everblooming perennial and breathesunny yellow charm into your gardening space. Grow your own Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan today!

Planting & Care

1. Planting:Plant your Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan in an area that receives full to partial sun (4-6 hours of sunlight per day). Simply dig a whole wider and the same depth as the container your plant arrives in. Remove the plant from the container and loosen the roots using your fingers. Then place the plant in the hole and backfill the dirt, being careful not to compact the soil.

2. Watering:Water yourplant immediately after planting and water regularly until established. Once the plant is established, water occasionally or more as needed in extreme heat or containers.

3. Pruning:Deadheading your plants encourages better blooming and color throughout the season.