I was looking through some digital files the other day and came across this photo of perennial Rudbeckia ‘Early Bird Gold’. The blooming capacity of this cultivar really is remarkable:
What impresses me even more is that both of my clumps grow in partial-shade. In fact one clump only gets about 2 hours of sunlight a day, but that doesn’t stop it from blooming its little heart out.
‘Early Bird Gold’ grows 24 inches tall. As its name suggests, the flowers do indeed appear early in the season and keep coming for weeks on end.
I’ve not had any disease or insect problems with this cultivar. When it first appeared at garden centers several years ago everyone was selling it, but last year I had difficulty getting my hands on more of these robust bloomers. I hope it was just a hiccup, because I have a few more trouble spots (especially in shadier areas) that could use a little perking up from ‘Early Bird Gold’.