Coneflower 'Giant'

Rudbeckia maxima, or giant coneflower, is a perennial plant characterized by a basal clump of large, bluish-green, paddle-shaped leaves. In the summer, tall, sparsely-leaved flower stalks emerge, bearing coneflowers with slightly drooping rays and dark brown central cones 2-6" high. This plant blooms in the summer and is native to open wooded areas, moist prairies, and pastures along roads and railroad tracks in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas, but has been introduced in several other states, including Missouri and South Carolina.

The basal foliage of this plant remains evergreen in warm winter climates, and leaving the flower stalks in place after blooming can provide seeds for goldfinches. Another common name for this plant is the "cabbage leaf coneflower," which refers to its" basal leaves.

Rudbeckia maxima can be quickly grown in average, moist, well-drained soils in full sun, although it can tolerate light shade, heat, drought, and a wide range of soils. It thrives best when planted in wet, organically rich soils and may be grown from seed. Under optimal growing conditions, the species will naturalize by self-seeding.