Pick up know-how for tackling diseases, pests and weeds.
Farm bill, farm marketing, agribusiness webinars, & farm policy.
Find tactics for healthy livestock and sound forages.
Scheduling and methods of irrigation.
Commercial row crop production in Arkansas.
Agriculture weed management resources.
Use virtual and real tools to improve critical calculations for farms and ranches.
Learn to ID forages and more.
Explore our research locations around the state.
Get the latest research results from our county agents.
Our programs include aquaculture, diagnostics, and energy conservation.
Keep our food, fiber and fuel supplies safe from disaster.
Private, Commercial & Non-commercial training and education.
Specialty crops including turfgrass, vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals.
Find educational resources and get youth engaged in agriculture.
Gaining garden smarts and sharing skills.
Creating beauty in and around the home.
Maintenance calendar, and best practices.
Coaxing the best produce from asparagus to zucchini.
What’s wrong with my plants? The clinic can help.
Featured trees, vines, shrubs and flowers.
Ask our experts plant, animal, or insect questions.
Enjoying the sweet fruits of your labor.
Herbs, native plants, & reference desk QA.
Growing together from youth to maturity.
Crapemyrtles, hydrangeas, hort glossary, and weed ID databases.
Get beekeeping, honey production, and class information.
Grow a pollinator-friendly garden.
Schedule these timely events on your gardening calendar.
Equipping individuals to lead organizations, communities, and regions.
Guiding communities and regions toward vibrant and sustainable futures.
Guiding entrepreneurs from concept to profit.
Position your business to compete for government contracts.
Find trends, opportunities and impacts.
Providing unbiased information to enable educated votes on critical issues.
Increase your knowledge of public issues & get involved.
Research-based connection to government and policy issues.
Support Arkansas local food initiatives.
Read about our efforts.
Preparing for and recovering from disasters.
Licensing for forestry and wildlife professionals.
Preserving water quality and quantity.
Cleaner air for healthier living.
Firewood & bioenergy resources.
Managing a complex forest ecosystem.
Read about nature across Arkansas and the U.S.
Learn to manage wildlife on your land.
Soil quality and its use here in Arkansas.
Learn to ID unwanted plant and animal visitors.
Timely updates from our specialists.
Eating right and staying healthy.
Ensuring safe meals.
Take charge of your well-being.
Cooking with Arkansas foods.
Making the most of your money.
Making sound choices for families and ourselves.
Nurturing our future.
Get tips for food, fitness, finance, and more!
Understanding aging and its effects.
Giving back to the community.
Managing safely when disaster strikes.
Listen to our latest episode!
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture does not promote, support or recommend plants featured in "Plant of the Week." Please consult your local Extension office for plants suitable for your region.
A student once stumbled across a quote in an English gardening book I wish I had kept. It went something like: "Anyone who grows members of the daisy family can hardly consider themselves a true gardener."
This smugness not only reflects extreme phyto-snobbery, it reveals an insular view of the world. In a maritime climate such as England, with its moderate temperature and gentle rainfall, it doesn’t take too much talent to get plants to thrive. But in the extremes we have to deal with here in Arkansas, you need tough plants. One of the toughest is Goldstrum black-eyed Susan.
Goldstrum is a 2-foot tall perennial that’s covered during much of the summer with a crown of golden yellow flowers with their typical brown center. The flowers are 3-inches across. The the hat-shaped central eye is a little less than an inch wide.
The Goldstrum’s foliage is basal in the spring, but as the stems begin to elongate, their leaves become smaller. The leaves of this species are dark green and free of hairs.
Rudbeckia fulgida is not the common black-eyed Susan we see blooming in midsummer throughout the state. That species is R. hirta, which is an annual or biennial that grows to 3-feet tall with scratchy pubescence on the leaves. Between the two species, R. fulgida and selections like Golstrum are much superior to the floppy, powdery mildew-ridden R. hirta.
This group of plants was named by Linnaeus, the famous Swedish botanist who developed the Latin naming system we use for plants. Linnaeus’ first real paying job in academia was in 1730 when Olaf Rudbeck the younger (1660-1740) hired the young second-year student to lecture in botany. Olaf’s father was the first instructor of botany at Uppsala and founded the world famous botanical garden at the beginning of the 18th Century.
On July 29, 1731, Linnaeus wrote Rudbeck and informed him that he was naming an American plant in his honor. According to Linnaeus, "So long as the earth shall survive, each spring shall see it covered with flowers, the Rudbeckia will preserve your glorious name." Today we call that sucking up to the boss, but in the 18th Century, before the days of public supported higher education, scholars had to find a patron to support them as they did their work.
The selection of Goldstrum as a garden plant fell to the Europeans, like so many other native American plants. The plant was first selected by Heinrich Hagemann in the Czech Republic in 1937, but it was not introduced until 1949 after the dust had settled from WWII, and then it was the world famous nursery of Karl Foerster at Potsdam, Germany that made the introduction. The plant belatedly received the designation as Perennial Plant of the Year in 1999 from the Perennial Plant Association.
Goldstrum rudbeckia is an easy to grow, long-lived perennial. It should be given full sun in a well drained, reasonably fertile soil. Because it’s such a vigorous grower, it should be placed at least 2 feet from its nearest neighbor.
An overly rich site may cause it to grow too tall and split open in the center as the crown of flowers appear. This can be guarded against by placing a supporting gridwork of branches over the top of the plant as it begins growing in the spring. About every third year, the clump should be dug, divided and then reset in the garden.
By: Gerald Klingaman, retired Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals Extension News - August 10, 2001
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture does not maintain lists of retail outlets where these plants can be purchased. Please check your local nursery or other retail outlets to ask about the availability of these plants for your growing area.