Rudbeckia 'American Gold Rush' is a compact disease resistant selection of black eyed Susan featuring golden yellow flowers with dark cones and bright green foliage. Offers reliable color, wildlife value, and tidy garden performance.
Height & Spread: 18 - 24 in x 24 - 30 in
Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall
Light Requirements: Full sun
Soil Preference: Average to moist, well drained soil
Watering Needs: Moderate; occasional drought tolerance
Deer Resistance: Deer resistant
Native Status
This cultivar is derived from the native Rudbeckia fulgida and retains strong pollinator and garden value while offering improved disease resistance.
WILDLIFE & INSECTS
Butterflies
- Attracts Painted Ladies, Pearl Crescents, and skippers throughout the bloom season.
Bees
- Provides abundant nectar and pollen for native solitary bees, bumblebees, and honeybees.
Spacing & Landscape Use
Spacing Recommendations
- Space 18 - 24 in apart to maintain mounded habit and flowering density.
Landscape Placement
- Ideal for borders, small gardens, foundation plantings, and pollinator strips where tidy growth and sustained bloom are priorities.
Companion Plants
- Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' - Provides vertical movement and reddish fall foliage behind Rudbeckia’s golden blooms.
- Salvia nemorosa 'May Night' - Offers earlier blue flowers that contrast well with yellow blooms.
- Monarda 'Jacob Cline' - Brings red flowers and hummingbird support to the planting mix.
- Coreopsis 'Zagreb' - Adds complementary yellow tones with fine foliage and longer bloom time.
- Allium 'Millenium' - Adds structural globe flowers and supports midsummer pollinators.