When northern Arizona welcomes the monsoon season, plants far and wide bloom and burst with life from the much-needed rain.
One spectacular plant blooming in abundance here at The Arb is Rudbeckia laciniata, also known as cut-leaf coneflower. This beautiful plant is one of the tallest woodland flowers of the Colorado Plateau, making it a real statement in the home garden.
This herbaceous perennial features bright golden-yellow flowers atop strong stems over dark green foliage. While this plant prefers some shade, it will grow in full sun if the soil holds moisture well.
This beauty will bloom in Flagstaff from mid-summer through fall, and can reach heights of 8 feet, making it a great background or focal point plant! Given this height, it is possible for it to flop under the weight of its own flowers. To avoid this, pinch the growth in early summer to promote bushiness and encourage the plant to grow sturdier and stronger.
You can keep this incredible plant blooming through fall by deadheading spent flowers–Rudbeckia laciniata flowers make excellent centerpieces for the kitchen table.
If you need some gardening inspiration, you can find this plant–and so many more–blooming throughout our gardens at The Arb. You can also stop by our retail nursery (open Wednesday through Sundays from 9 am to 3:30 pm) and grab some fabulous flowering plants for your garden.
Gina Goegan is the Greenhouse Manager at The Arboretum at Flagstaff.