LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Early Bird Gold and Goldsturm are Deserving of Super Plant Status

Each year, the LSU AgCenter names several Louisiana Super Plants. Plants chosen for this designation are expected to perform well in the state.

Two varieties of Rudbeckia fulgida, Early Bird Gold and Goldsturm, are among the 2026 selections. This species is sometimes called orange coneflower or black-eyed Susan. One of my favorite things about these plants is that they tend to be reliably perennial in Louisiana, returning year after year. Note that the name black-eyed Susan is more commonly used for the closely related R. hirta, which isn’t as reliably perennial, though it often comes back from seed.

Orange coneflower isn’t considered native to Louisiana, per se, but it is native to several states in the Deep South, as well as other states in the eastern US.

Goldsturm has been around for many years, having been selected in 1937, and can be freely propagated. Early Bird Gold is a much newer introduction. A specimen with unique characteristics was noticed growing among Goldstrum plants at Dupont Nursery in Louisiana and patented as Early Bird Gold in 2009.

Early Bird Gold is more compact than Goldsturm and starts flowering earlier, around mid- to late May. Goldsturm begins blooming in late June to early July and can continue through late August, while Early Bird Gold tends to be well past its peak by late July. Having both varieties gives you a longer season of flowers.

Plant these on a well-drained site with full sun to partial shade.

Let me know if you have questions.

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Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).