Monarda Balmy Rose
Excellent early-flowering, compact monarda. Dwarf variety is deer and rabbit resistant, as well as mildew resistant. Pollinator power! Native cultivars with heat and drought tolerance in North America. True, uniform series is tops in powdery mildew resistance. Full, compact plants … Read More
Rudbeckia fulgida – ‘Goldsturm’ Black-eyed Susan
A garden classic with bold texture and upright habit. Bright gold petals with a deep brown cone highlight the garden in late summer. Each flower may last up to two weeks! Makes a wonderful and long lasting cut flower. Provides seeds in the winter for birds and nectar for butterflies. Beautiful and versatile, outstanding in mass plantings as well as perennial borders, meadows and prairie gardens.
Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm' has been selected by the Perennial Plant Association as the 1999 Perennial Plant of the Year. Acclaimed internationally as one of the most popular perennials for the past fifty years, its bright golden-yellow flowers shine in gardens worldwide. In 1937 Heinrich Hagemann observed a glorious stand of Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii at Gebrueder Schuetz's nursery in the Czech Republic. Recognizing the superiority over other commonly-grown Rudbeckia species, Hagemann convinced his employer Karl Foerster of Potsdam, Germany to propagate his discovery. World War II interfered with the planned debut of the plant and it was not until 1949 that the triumphant success of Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii renamed 'Goldsturm' began. 'Goldsturm' translates to English as “gold storm.” Heinrich Hagemann, although retired, maintains an active interest in his company, the world-renowned Hagemann Staudenkulturen. A member of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family, orange coneflower or black-eyed Susan has a native range from New Jersey west to Illinois. 'Goldsturm' orange coneflower is significant in its compact habit and 1-2-inch golden-yellow petals which encircle a nearly black cone of disk flowers. The leaves are coarse, dark green lanceolate to ovate, 3-6 inches long; stem leaves are smaller, almost bract-like. The “gold storm” blankets the tops of 18-30-inch tall plants from mid-July to October. Plant width is 24 inches.
Rudbeckia hirta ‘Cherry Brandy’ Black-eyed Susan
This striking Rudbeckia hybrid leaves the standard gold-color behind! Its shockingly-red, velvety blooms will ignite the garden with weeks and weeks of color in the summer through fall. The unique bi-color blooms, on compact, beautiful foliage, will put on a show in the front of your garden or in a container.
As the state flower of Maryland, we understand why everyone loves Black Eyed Susans. Cherry Brandy takes the classic beauty of the standard, yellow Rudbeckia and puts a unique, bright twist with rings of reds and maroons, coming into a chocolate-brown center. Plant this beauty and enjoy long-lasting blooms when much of the garden has settled down for the season.
Salix humilis – Prairie Willow
This shrub is 2-8′ tall, often branching near the base and toward the tips of older stems. Woody stems are terete and variably colored – usually some shade of yellowish tan, brown, or gray. Young woody stems are often short-pubescent, but they become glabrous with age. New shoots are light green and short-pubescent. Alternate leaves occur along young stems and shoots. The leaf blades are 1¾-4″ long and ¼-¾” across; they are narrowly lanceolate, oblanceolate, or oblong-elliptic in shape and smooth to slightly crenate along their margins. The margins are often revolute (curved downward) as well. The upper surface of the leaf blades is medium green or grayish green and glabrous to sparsely short-pubescent, while the lower surface (for this variety of Prairie Willow) is short-pubescent and sometimes whitened. The petioles are ¼-½” in length and short-pubescent. At the base of the petioles, lanceolate stipules are sometimes found.
Senna hebecarpa – Wild Senna
Host Plant – Sulphur, Clouded Sulphur, Orange Sulphur
Wild Senna is a versatile plant that we think deserves more recognition as a great choice for garden or restoration projects. Its lovely, bright yellow flowers bloom July-August, attracting many bees and butterflies. Autumn brings beautiful leaf colors and the formation of long black pods with seeds favored by larger birds like wild turkeys. A horizontal root system provides strength against winds, allowing the plant’s stately (4-6′) beauty to be appreciated even after the storm. Some gardeners use this sun-loving plant to form a hedge.
It is virtually indistinguishable from its relative, Maryland Senna (Senna marilandica) until the two species have ripe seeds. The Wild Senna will readily open its pod and the seeds will fall out, whereas the Maryland Senna seed pods will stay tightly closed. Other than this, it is very hard to tell the two species apart.
Solidago sphacelata – ‘Golden Fleece’ Dwarf Goldenrod
Another fantastic Mt. Cuba introduction. A stunning show of sprays of golden yellow flowers from mid-August through September. Semievergreen heart-shaped leaves. Truly an excellent groundcover and bee and butterfly charmer! Hairstreaks, sulphurs and skippers are particularly attracted to goldenrod. Monarchs visit it during their autumn migration.
Goldenrod Interesting Notes
Golden Fleece autumn goldenrod was discovered in 1985 as a spontaneous garden seedling in Eden, North Carolina. It was evaluated under diverse conditions at Mt. Cuba Center and determined to be a low-growing, compact form of the species suitable for use as an herbaceous perennial groundcover only reaching 18” tall. Multi-branched stems arise from basal rosettes of broadly rounded foliage and are covered with a profusion of golden-yellow floral spires from mid-September to October. It performs best in full sun with average moisture but is tolerant of a range of conditions from sunny and dry to partial shade. 'Golden Fleece' is hardy in zones 3-8. It won the Internationale Stauden-Union’s Award for an outstanding new plant in Switzerland in 1994. – Mt. Cuba Center
In many of the gardens I design, I use goldenrod to give late summer and fall gardens just the right autumnal color. Luckily for urban dwellers with limited gardening space, goldenrod also can be grown quite successfully in a container. Beautiful in the garden, goldenrod does double-duty as a long-lived cut flower. In Europe, where goldenrod has long been shown the appreciation it deserves, it is sold by the bunch, and gardening catalogs offer more cultivars than are available in the States.
Solidago sphacelata 'Golden Fleece' Growing and Maintenance Tips
Native to calcarous woodlands and rocky pastures from Virginia to Illinois south to Kentucky and Georgia. Prefers somewhat fertile, sandy, well-drained soils in full sun. Propagate by seed or division every 3-4 years. Cut back to encourage rebloom. Used in butterfly and wild gardens or as a groundcover or border perennial.