Rudbeckia maxima
Rudbeckia maxima has huge powder blue leaves and towering stems of black-eyed-Susan-like flowers.
If you love big perennials with dramatic foliage, we’d love to introduce you to Rudbeckia maxima! Known as great coneflower or cabbage leaf coneflower, this species from eastern Texas and adjacent states has huge 18 inch long blue-green leaves topped in mid to late summer by yellow-petaled, black-coned flowers on stems up to seven feet tall. The flowering stems are nearly leafless or with only small leaves which makes for a towering perennial with a great see-through effect. You would normally plant it at the back of the border but trying bringing it forward to the middle or even the front of the border if you’re a real anarchist! Loves moisture and heat but is also drought tolerant.
Common Name: Great Coneflower
Family: Asteraceae (The Asteraceae Family)
Zone Hardiness: 4-9
Light: Full Sun, Part Sun
Height: 4-6'
Width: 3-5'
Primary Bloom Colour: Yellow
Secondary Bloom Colour: Black
Bloom Time: Summer
Foliage Colour: Bluish
Class: Deciduous
Type: Perennial
Soil Moisture: Average, Dry, Moist
Stem Colour:
Fragrance: No
Berries:
Benefits: Butterflies, Bees
Deer Resistant: Yes
BC Native: No
Native Habitat: Low meadows, open slopes, stream banks, and prairies in the south central US.
Award:
Geographical Origin: North America
