Red wanders around on Rudbeckia ‘Autumn Colors’

It’s no surprise that Benary, the German breeding firm, dominates our Rudbeckia program. They ship the most interesting material because they have a deep commitment to the genus and a long history of releasing good variations on the Black-Eyed theme. It’s funny that a German breeder has taken up the flag of an American native, but Benary has been a force in international horticulture since the Prussians nearly two centuries ago. They’ve been selling Rudbeckias since they started back in the 1850s.

In a sense, Benary is entangled in the story of America. Germans were the primary immigrants after the Civil War, during Benary’s go-go years. Most of these Germans were farmers, and since Benary was in the seed business they knew that quality Rudbeckia would appeal to the German families surrounding Cincinnati. This genus has been in their catalog since the beginning.

What we find interesting is that Benary considers Rudbeckia important enough for its own dedicated breeder—the post is held by an American working out of fields in California. This commitment results in the most useful Rudbeckias for the American home and commercial markets today. Let’s take a look at why these varieties work so well.

Dark purple plumes of Celosia ‘Intenz’ liven up late summer containers

Late summer can be far from boring. We have plenty of freshly grown plants to help landscapes transition with the change in seasons. Remember to bump up your inventory for back-to-school sales, too—customers will be tidying up the yard before schedules go back to hectic. We have that covered as well. Here are some timely selections from our greenhouses:

Lobularia ‘Frosty Knight’—bright variegated foliage makes it stand out in a bed

A treat that we are offering this autumn is ‘Frosty Knight’, a Lobularia with several unusual features. Brightly variegated foliage makes it stand out in a bed, and this combined with other key characteristics turns it into a useful tool for autumn design work. ‘Frosty Knight’ plays the Lobularia game in a different way, so let’s take a closer look at it.

Canna ‘Cannova Yellow’ within a large stand of spikes

In the world of Cannas, the Cannova series is a game changer for the horticultural professional in two major ways. First, the plants flower much better in Cincinnati than traditional varieties because they were bred for our market. Second, Cannovas are reliable in a way that Cannas haven’t been in a long time. In the bad old days, Canna propagation was more art than science, and a dark art at that. The supply chain was deeply troubled by serious disruptions so Cannas were often consigned to the novelty rack, not because they were spectacular but because it was uncertain whether you could get them at all.

Cannovas changed all that.