Fresh Rudbeckia For Autumn

We’ve just made available a lot of five different kinds of Rudbeckia for autumn. Full of buds that have just started to open over the weekend, they are prime for planting. Rudbeckia blooms generously and lasts a long time, so order this week and next to get the maximum season out of these plants.

A good choice for bird gardens, Rudbeckia attracts finches and chickadees. Seed heads are rich in oils, creating super autumn and winter feeding stations when it is planted en masse. It also performs well as a container plant, so even deck and balcony gardeners can participate in the bird watching. Retailers—use Rudbeckia to set up a bird garden display next to the mums.

This North American native thrives with the easy care of a wildflower. Plants grow in lots of soil conditions and their only requirement is a generous amount of sun. Breeders have taken the standard varieties and bred for larger blooms with more diverse colors and forms. Although cultivars like ‘Maxima’ will reach nine feet tall, we grow the dwarf and short varieties.

‘SONORA’: 24 inches

Our most dramatic Rudbeckia, it ties with ‘Toto Rustic’ as our tallest. This bicolor has a large cone with a dark chocolate center ring, resulting in a big dramatic eye. Petals are tipped in light yellow. Flowers are extra large—almost six inches across, and it is very bushy for a black-eyed susan.

‘GOLDILOCKS’: 20–24 inches

Double and semi-double blooms appear on the same plant. The double is fluffy and mum-like, whereas the semi-double is flat in a double pinwheel style. Flower size is around 3-1/2 to 4 inches across.

‘TOTO RUSTIC’: 12–15 inches

Like Sonora, this is a dramatic black-eyed susan. The bicolor flower is golden with a rich mahogany-red center surrounding the eye.  Blooms are 3–4 inches in size.

‘TOTO GOLD’: 12–15 inches

This classic upturned black-eyed susan has cupped petals. Plants boast a heavy bloom count and are very short. This is the one to choose for window boxes, deck containers or a display in the front of the garden.

‘TOTO LEMON’: 10–12 inches

Large yellow petals surround a prominent cone. This variety is known for its heavy bloom count. It’s the shortest Rudbeckia we sell.

A small side note: our autumn Rudbeckia line is different from our summer program. We’ve noticed the popular colors for summer are not the same as for fall, so we’ve shifted our range from bright yellows toward more golden tones.