Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange Coneflower) is the yellow-orange blossomed aster you see in abundance throughout the attached photo. This rain garden is one in a series of interconnected rain gardens we created almost 12 years ago at our home in southeast Jefferson County, KY. Over these years, we've been able to observe orange coneflower as it exists in the nature-mimicking ecosystem we've created here. We've found several interesting traits of this lovely species:
1. It attracts many native bees to its pollen when blooming.
2. It prefers moist soil in a sunny area, but will adapt to dry, dappled shade over time, if left alone.
3 Because it flowers all over its stems, it makes a wonderful filler, along with other native plants that thrive in moist meadows. In the photo, you see it is easily coexisting with Lobelia cardinalis (Red Cardinal Flower), native Phlox maculata (Meadow Phlox), Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower), the tall stalks of Iris Virginica (Southern Blue Flag Iris), etc.
4. Although Orange Coneflower forms colonies, it tends to get along well with its native counterparts. It does not act like a bully or take over the other plants in the neighborhood.
5. Because of its relatively shorter stature, its stems are strong and so it does not tend to flop over.
6. As a perennial wildflower, Orange Coneflower readily re-seeds itself, while also returning from its hardy root system and semi-evergreen basal rosettes.
7. While Orange Coneflower may seem to prefer moist soil, we have noticed that it does NOT like standing water, except for short periods of time. In this rain garden, it tended over the years to form higher island-like clumps so that now the rain water goes around their clumps. We have delighted in watching the whole rain garden form its own ecosystem according to the basic traits of its inhabitants. Because they are all native species, they really DO know how to acclimate themselves to their environment.
8. Lastly, I cannot emphasize strongly enough that these particular Rudbeckia fulgida plants were LOCALLY sourced. Our original plants came from Dropseed Nursery operated by Margaret Shea in Goshen, Kentucky. We trust Dropseed to sell us plants that are genetically native and, thus, most adaptable to THIS environment. And that, more than anything, is why they have acclimated so well here in our rain gardens and the drier dappled shade gardens. BUY LOCAL ONLY. Do not trust online nurseries unless you have no other choice. Trust me, you will be glad you did the research before buying seeds or plants.
If you'd like to learn more about our native plants sanctuary project, yours truly has been documenting the process since 2010 and we have published it, along with many native plants lists for the lower Midwest region of the U.S. Our book can be purchased by clicking here (for signed copies): Let the Earth Breathe book: Milligan/Brown or on amazon here: Let the Earth Breathe: the book
