Rudbeckia Mix

Rudbeckia hirta
Also known as Black Eyed Susan, Coneflower, Gloriosa Daisy, Marguerite Jaune

$5.00

In stock

Description

Rudbeckia is one of my all time favorite summer flowers. Why do I love this flower so much? Let me count the ways: first, rudbeckia is a north American native flower. I used to see them on mountain hikes all over wildflower meadows, but back then I didn’t know what they were. Now I instantly recognize those black cones surrounded by rays of yellow petals. As expected from a native flower, rudbeckia can handle the cold winters and hot summers of our region like a champ. They come in a gorgeous range of sunset colors, including pale pink and butter yellow. They’re deer resistant. Once established, they self seed easily and the volunteers are full of wonderful surprises, like double, bi-color blooms of both yellow and pink. They have a long bloom period, from early summer through fall, and make wonderful perennial landscape plants as well as cut flowers with tall, straight stems. At Camp Joy, we also dried rudbeckia for wreath making. I was able to obtain a light-fast yellow dye from the flowers. Last but not least, they attract pollinators.

This particular seed mix celebrates rudbeckia’s diversity, consisting of as much of the spectrum as I could find. I combined several varieties and mixes (Sahara, Prairie Sun, Gloriosa Double, Cherokee Sunset, Josie, Cherry Brandy, etc.) and grew them all together, letting nature do her work. And as I mentioned above, the results are so fun and fascinating! What colors will you get? There’s only one way to find out.

Details

Lifecycle: Perennial
Lifespan: 3 – 5 years
Hardiness zones: 4 – 9 (USDA)
Habitats: Prairies and meadows
Plant size: 3 – 6 ft tall
Light: Full sun
Soil: All soil types
Water: Moderate, plants are drought tolerant once established
Seeds per packet: 50+ seeds

Seed Starting

Direct sow or sow in flats in the fall or early spring. Lightly cover seeds as light is needed for germination. Plant about 1-2 feet apart.

Cultivation

Once established, rudbeckia can be quite drought tolerant. They are best placed in sunny positions to maximize bloom time. Deadhead often to encourage more blooms. In the winter, rudbeckia die back completely. Remove dried stalks to open up space for volunteers.

Harvest

Rudbeckia is an excellent cut flower. For fresh arrangements, cut stems before blooms are completely open and put into water immediately. For drying, harvest when flowers are fully opened. Place the stems into the holes of a wire rack so that the petals lie flat on the surface while drying.

Propagation

Rudbeckia self sows easily. Leave flowers on the stalk in the fall and stop watering to let them dry completely. In some varieties, the petals will fall off, leaving just the black cones. Cut off cones and turn it upside down onto your hand. You should find shiny, rectangle black seeds. These can be broadcasted or direct sowed.

Seed Saving

I’ve tried different methods of collecting rudbeckia seeds and have found this to be the most efficient: cut a bunch of seed stalks that you can hold comfortably in your hand and thresh by beating the stalks and seedheads vigorously upside down into a bucket to release the seeds. Wear gloves as rudbeckia have hairs on them that can be itchy. Screen the seeds to remove the chaff.

Additional information

Weight0.007 lbs
Dimensions4.5 × 3.25 × .05 in

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