The late-season perennial daisy Rudbeckia is emerging from a long period of neglect as plantsmen and designers rediscover its robust but graceful charms. The main reason for this revival is its role as a stalwart of the new prairie planting schemes, pioneered over the past decade by leading designers such as Piet Oudolf. The tall butter-yellow flowers of Rudbeckia complement ornamental grasses well and they are tough enough to hold their own in these low-maintenance, high-density designs. Their selection for such plant combinations is no accident: the wild species inhabit the prairies of the American Midwest, where they cope with scorching winds and baking drought with little shelter. They have evolved to become very resilient, needing little extracare to perform at their best.
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