I have a list of plants that I’ve deemed “garden winners” over the years, and Rudbeckia ‘Prairie Sun’ made that list in 2009. The flowers are large and cheery, and the plants thrive in full sun and even part-sun.
Somewhere in the mid-2010s I stopped growing most rudbeckias because the rabbits would always mow them to the ground.
A few years ago my husband nestled our annual flowerbeds in chicken wire. I could finally sleep at night knowing the rabbits would no longer have a free salad bar! But for some reason I forgot to re-introduce rudbeckias to my flowerbeds.
This year I remedied that by growing ‘Prairie Sun’ again for the first time in years. The flowers did not disappoint. Some are 5 inches across!
‘Prairie Sun’ can be found on lists of flowers that attract pollinators. The plants grow 28 to 32 inches tall.
This plant can even be grown as a short-lived perennial in Zones 3-7, but if you grow it from seed it will bloom the first year.
The flowers bloom all summer long and make good cut flowers for a vase or arrangement.