Illustration
Autumn Sun Coneflower
Rudbeckia nitida 'Autumn Sun'
Autumn Sun Coneflower blooms from August through October.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Autumn Sun Coneflower
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–9. Expect it to reach about 4 ft tall and 2 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (checked).
No toxicity note is on file for Autumn Sun Coneflower. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Autumn Sun Coneflower
Plant Autumn Sun Coneflower in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from August to October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Autumn Sun Coneflower get?
4 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult2 ftwideSee Autumn Sun Coneflower in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Autumn Sun Coneflower
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Autumn Sun Coneflower about 2 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Autumn Sun Coneflower to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Autumn Sun Coneflower's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, years to mature size, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 19 published sources on August 24, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color, years to mature size, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- growingwildnursery.comGrowing Wild Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, years to mature size and soil
- wilsonbrosgardens.comWilson Bros Gardensheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags and soil
- North Creek Nurseriesheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and soil
- romencegardens.comRomence Gardensheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- unitychurchhillnursery.comUnity Church Hill Nurseryheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color and soil
- vanstonenurseries.comVanstone Nurseriesheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxsun, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and pests
- siteone.comSiteOne Landscape Supplyheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderhardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- sandysplants.comSandy's Plantsheight, spread, hardiness zones and bloom months and color
- arboretum.psu.eduPenn State Arboretumhardiness zones and bloom months and color
- michlers.comMichler's Florist, Greenhouses and Garden Designheight and bloom months and color
- extension.sdstate.eduSouth Dakota State University Extensiondiseases and pests
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centerbloom months and color
- portal.ct.govConnecticut Agricultural Experiment Stationdiseases and pests
- ASPCAAmerican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animalstoxicity
- poisonousplants.ansci.cornell.eduCornell University Department of Animal Sciencetoxicity
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.