Each year, Rudbeckia flowers are some of our first and last to be blooming, and there is so much to love about them. They are cold hardy so can be planted out early; they bloom in abundance until temperatures dip into the 20s, and they grow in many wonderful shades of yellow to warm reddish browns.
Specifics:
Rudbeckia hirta
Bloom time: mid July-hard frost
Colors: the exact varieties we grow vary by season, but shades of warm yellow to warm reds and browns. Some have single layers of petals while others are partially or fully doubled.
Stem length: 12-36"
Uses
We have used Rudbeckia in quite a lot of arrangements from weddings to funerals to simple arrangements destined for grandma.
These nice brown Rudbeckias added a beautiful subtle warmth in this fun, fall arrangement along side the tall spikes of Millet and red Zinnias, purple Verbena, and Love in a Puff vines:
The Prairie Sun variety, with its bright green centers, are fun to add to bright and happy market bouquets:
And the subtle browns of the Moroccan Sun and Sahara varieties were lovely in these sophisticated white and brown market bouquets:
Rudbeckia is a favorite for memorials and sympathy arrangements for the beloved men in everyone's lives who have passed on.
And here Emily and I are, enjoying bounteous buckets of Rudbeckia at our lovely Blossoms and Brunch event last season.
Rudbeckia is considered a perennial, but we like to grow it as an annual. We tend to harvest it to bits every year, and that practice plus the dirty little voles who love to feast on the roots in the winter have lead us to adopt the practice of pulling it out every fall and starting it again every spring. In Idaho Falls, zone 5a, we like to start the seeds early to mid-March and then plant the seedlings out early to mid-May.
Whether you are looking for a great perennial garden flower that blooms all season, or a fantastic cut flower, Rudbeckia is a sure favorite. :)