Plants for wet clay: Rudbeckia nitida 'Herbstsonne'

This rudbeckia is one of the most successful perennials in my unimproved wet clay. In my last garden in Rosemont, I banned yellow. Here, on Federal Twist Road, with a dark background of forest trees, the yellow brings much needed color and light. This plant thrives in partial shade, without any need for staking, while rising to heights of eight to ten feet. It has a great mop of flowers, and good looking, disease free foliage, year after year. And look at the marvelous seed cones (click photo for a closeup).