According to my garden notes, I first planted Rubeckia ‘Early Bird Gold’ fifteen years ago now. Those original plants continue to come up every year for me without fail and no matter what kind of winter we’ve had.
The plants grow 24 inches tall and do well for me in full sun or part-shade. I’ve never had to stake them, and I’ve never had any insect or animal pest problems with them either. They start blooming as early as June and continue well into September.
This is probably one of my favorite perennials of all time, but it has all but disappeared from the planet, and I can’t find any reasons why. About seven years after I first purchased my plants I stopped seeing that cultivar for sale at garden centers.
I’m thankful my plants have lasted this long and I will continue to transplant additional runners whenever I can to keep my little crop going for as many years as possible. The flowers are not only showy and long-blooming, but they are a favorite of the butterflies that visit my yard.