Lion Cub Rudbeckia Is One Cute and Fluffy Black-Eyed Susan
Long blooming and compact.
'Lion Cub' rudbeckia blooms with fluffy yellow flowers that makes it as cute as its namesake. Sure to be the pride of the garden, the summer-through-autumn flowers bloom with skinny but plentiful rays that create a shaggy pompom look. This quick-growing hybrid rudbeckia thrives in heat. Its small size suits it to containers and the front of garden beds.
Common name: ‘Lion Cub’ rudbeckia
Botanical name: Rudbeckia ‘Lion Cub’
Exposure: Full sun
Flowers: Appearing from summer to the fall frost, the daisy-type flowers have numerous golden rays, each with a notch at the tip. The tips turn red with age. The central disc is rich chocolate brown.
Foliage: Deep green, ovate leaves that are not susceptible to powdery mildew.
Habit: Herbaceous tender perennial growing as a 10-inch-tall, 18-inch-wide mound.
Origin: Introduced by Terra Nova Nurseries in 2023.
Related: Read about another short rudbeckia, the award-winning Amarillo Gold.
How to grow it: Provide 'Lion Cub' rudbeckia with full sun and average, well-drained soil with consistent moisture. This rudbeckia is not frost hardy, but it is so long blooming and quick growing that it works very well as an annual. USDA Zones 9–11.
Related: Read about the winter-hardy rudbeckia named 2023 Perennial Plant of the Year.
Image courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries
