2023 Perennial of the Year: American Gold Rush

This year’s selection is a black eyed susan ‘American Gold Rush’.  It is on the cusp of hardiness for Ottawa, however 2023 has also been named the Year of the Rudbeckia by the National Garden Bureau – so here are some varieties you might want to try:

• Goldsturm
• Little Suzy
• Herbstsonne (Autumn Sun)
• Prairie Sun

Rudbeckias love the heat and look very nice planted with ornamental grasses and purple coneflower.  They are fine in full sun or partial shade and are not particular about soil conditions or pH.  Butterflies tend to visit black eyed susans, so do birds, as the birds enjoy the seeds even once the flowers are finished blooming