Rudbeckia is the Sunshine Plant
People often ask me what the best flowers are to inject colour, vibrancy and life into a garden at this time of year. It’s a time of year when we are absolutely spoilt for choice. A huge variety of vibrant, rich flowers are to be admired as you walk around any garden.
These flowers have a cheerful orange and yellow flower that transform beautifully around any garden once they erupt. They really put on a great display that will well and truly see gardeners right through until autumn.
Commonly called Black-eyed Susans, or Coneheads, rudbeckia is an extremely reliable plant to have in a garden. It requires very little work but gives maximum impact in a flowerbed. It is for this reason that you will often see it popping up in planting schemes in public spaces. Rudbeckia really requires very little attention and maintenance once it has established itself.
At this time of year in CountryLife we can never have enough rudbeckia in stock. The minute customers see the sunny flowers on the stands it is only a matter of seconds before one or two of the plants are put into their shopping trolley!
For those who enjoy variegated leaves in a garden, Fuchsia “Sunray” is a great investment. It has pink and green variegated leaves and pink flowers.
There Are Various Rudbeckia Varieties
One particularly good variety that is proving very popular with gardeners (me included) is Goldsturm. This variety grows between two and three feet tall and is great for adding much needed height to any flowerbed. If you do not have the space for the standard Goldsturm there is a great dwarf variety called Little Goldsturm. It may work better for gardeners working in a confined space.
Rudbeckia Prairie Sun is another great variety for anyone looking for something a little bit different. This variety has the traditional orange coloured petals but the outer edges of the petals look almost bleached as they change into a primrose yellow colour. This variety can be a slightly trickier to grow and I have found it acts more like an annual. If you can find the right position for it in a garden it will continue to come back year in year out.
Best Soil Types for Rudbeckia
Rudbeckia prefer a good free draining soil and an open sunny planting position. It is important to keep the plant watered regularly during the first year to ensure it establishes correctly. Every three to four years you should dig up the main clump of the plant and divide it. This keeps the plant vigorous and encourages better flowering.
Flowers for Months
On average Rudbeckia will flower from the start of August right through until October and can even keep up until the first frost of the year. To prolong the flowering remove faded flowers. This will allow the plant to focus its energy on flowering for longer.
Brilliant for the Birds
You can let the last flowers of the season remain on the plants; these seeds will aid to feed the birds in mid-Autumn. These seeds are favoured by finches and small birds.
Get in Touch!
If you have any questions about rudbeckia contact us on social media- @CountryLifeGC (Links in footer). If you have a specific problem such as pest damage it’s really helpful to send us a picture- we’d love to help!
