Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
American Gold Rush Black-Eyed Susan: Gold After the Lavender Harvest
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American Gold Rush black-eyed Susan grows into a broad dome, wider than it is tall, smothered in golden yellow daisies with dark chocolate cones. Hundreds of flowers sit at an even height from midsummer into early fall, with a few hanging on until frost. It has been named Perennial Plant of the Year and an All-America Selections winner.
Its real party trick is in the leaves: thinner and hairier than older black-eyed Susans, they resist Septoria leaf spot, the fungus that turns so many plantings brown in humid summers.
American Gold Rush at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Rudbeckia 'American Gold Rush' |
| Flowers | Golden yellow daisies, 2 to 3 inches, dark cone |
| Foliage | Narrow, medium green, softly hairy |
| Size | 22 to 26 inches tall, 40 to 44 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts mid-July, peaks mid-August, into early fall |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 4 to 9 |
| Light | Full sun to light shade |
| Wildlife | Excellent for pollinators; seeds for birds; moderately deer resistant |
Purple first, then gold
Lavender and black-eyed Susans are a natural relay. The lavender carries late June and July, and just as you are cutting bundles and shearing plants, American Gold Rush opens its first flowers. By mid-August the bed is a dome of gold beside gray-green lavender foliage, and the yellow and purple sit opposite each other on the color wheel, so any lingering lavender spikes look extra vivid.
Because one plant spreads well over 3 feet, it is a good choice for filling the back or end of a lavender bed. Give lavender its own airspace; do not let the dome flop over the lavender crowns. Lay it out in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting and care
- Site: full sun to light shade in average, well-drained soil.
- Water: steady water the first season, then it tolerates short dry spells.
- Deadheading: extends bloom, but leave the last flowers to form seed heads.
- Winter: leave stems and seed heads standing for birds and winter interest. Cut back in early spring.
Its resistance to Septoria leaf spot makes it a better bet in humid Michigan summers than many older black-eyed Susans, though powdery mildew and aster yellows can still turn up now and then.
For the vase and the birds
It is a good cut flower. Cut stems when the petals are fully open, and pair them with fresh lavender for a cheerful late-summer jar. Whatever you do not cut becomes seed heads that goldfinches and other birds pick through well into winter.
The plug tray
American Gold Rush comes as a 72-cell plug tray, which suits mass plantings, prairie-style beds and growers potting up their own stock. See the product page for current availability.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a native plant?
It is a selection of a black-eyed Susan native to North America, well suited to native and pollinator gardens.
Will it spread everywhere?
It forms a wide mound. Deadheading limits self-sown seedlings if you want it to stay in place.
How is it different from older black-eyed Susans?
It is shorter and wider, with hairy leaves that resist the leaf spot that browns many older plantings.
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