Herbstonne is a rudbeckia that makes a statement.

                              This fence is four feet tall and the Herbstonne tops out at least double that.

This rudbeckia isn’t for the faint of heart or gardeners who don’t like the shaggy look.

But I love it.

 It grows happily in a low but not boggy corner of my garden and is backed by an equally shaggy juniper and some equally statuesque Joe Pye Weed.                                                            

The cones are really attractive and the recurving petals are a rich but clean golden yellow. Herbstonne are my kind of plant because they’re rewarding from a distance and up close.

Of course Guldstrum are the most common and recognizable rudbeckias.

Their glistening dark centers attract all kinds of bees and butterflies.  But what amuses me about these rudbeckia is the way they’ve politely but firmly shown me where they prefer to grow.

                                                I planted them inside the fence. . . .                                                                 

 They politely but profusely replanted themselves here, among the ornamental grasses and coneflowers in the boulevard beds.

And now everyone’s happy.

Sometimes in gardening, losing the battle means winning the war.