Rudbeckia nitida

Rudbeckia nitida is a tall, luminous coneflower that trades the coarse hairiness of the common black-eyed Susans for smooth, glossy, dark green leaves and hairless stems, the shining foliage that gives the species a name. From a leafy base rise slender stems three to five feet tall, each carrying a large yellow daisy whose soft rays droop back from a raised, greenish-brown central cone, blooming through the heat of mid to late summer.

A native of the central and eastern United States, the shining coneflower haunts moist woodland edges, low ground, and damp meadows, where the tall stems can lean toward the light. The Woodlanders selection was propagated from a wild source in coastal Georgia, where the plant has grown uncommon or rare, so growing the plant carries a small thread of local conservation. The genus honors Olof Rudbeck, the Swedish botanist and teacher of Linnaeus, while nitida, shining, marks the polished, un-hairy leaves that set the species apart from the rougher coneflowers.

In the garden, Rudbeckia nitida makes a fine tall accent for the back of a moist, sunny to lightly shaded border, a rain garden, a pond edge, or the damp margin of a naturalistic planting, the airy yellow daisies rising above lower companions. The summer bloom feeds bees and butterflies, and the seed heads carry small birds into fall. Pair with Joe-Pye weed, swamp sunflower, ironweed, and native grasses that share the taste for moist ground and open sun.

Give the plant sun to light shade and a moist but well-drained, acid soil, and the tall stems will hold without staking in an open, breezy spot, though rich, damp ground and a little support suit the heaviest growth. Leave the seed heads standing for the birds and the winter silhouette, then cut the old stems in late winter as the glossy new rosette returns. A graceful, less-common native coneflower for the gardener with the damp ground to suit them.