Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata hortensia)

The Golden Glow are in full bloom right now, and they are a really impressive sight with their masses of bright yellow flowers. Normally the clumps will be five or six feet tall… this year with all the rain we’ve had, they are even taller than usual… probably very close to eight feet. This plant has a tendency to flop over under the weight of its flowers… it’s the one thing about it that I don’t like, especially since I have too many of them to stake. So far this year though, all my Golden Glow are still standing tall… I’m wondering if all the moisture we’ve had has perhaps made the stalks more sturdy.

Golden Glow is a perennial that starts blooming here in late summer and usually continues to bloom until our first early frost. It is part of the coneflower family and thrives in sun and moist soil and is a very easy plant to grow. It will spread enthusiastically (sometimes too enthusiastically) if it likes where it is planted.

The flowers are bright yellow with double petals, and they are large… around three and a half inches in diameter. Butterflies and bees find them very attractive. Supposedly Golden Glow is both deer and rabbit resistant… we don’t have wild rabbits here, but we do see a lot of deer, and it’s true that they have never shown any interest in this plant.

Golden Glow is an heirloom plant, and my Golden Glow has a family history. My first plants came from my mother’s garden, and her first plants came from her mother’s garden… before that, my mother’s side of our family was growing these same Golden Glows at least as far back as the early 1900’s. It’s a nice connection to know about.

Written by Shirley | Filed Under Old-Fashioned Perennials, Plants in my Gardens

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