Rudbeckia HIRTA 'RUSTIC COLORS'

Rudbeckia HIRTA 'RUSTIC COLORS' - Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta, 'Rustic Colors'.

Rudbeckia is a genus of herbaceous plants in the aster family (Asteraceae), comprising about three dozen species. All of them originate from North America, where they grow in prairies, forest edges, and along roadsides.

The plants are annual, biennial, or perennial, with erect pubescent stems and alternate rough leaves. The inflorescences are large flower heads on long peduncles, with a convex or conical receptacle.

Ray florets are yellow, orange, or reddish-brown, while disc florets are gathered in a dark convex center. The fruit is a four-angled, slightly compressed achene; germination capacity is retained for up to three years.

Black-eyed Susan is an annual or biennial, less commonly a short-lived perennial plant. Flower heads are up to 10 cm (4 in) across, with golden-yellow ray florets and brownish-purple disc florets on a convex receptacle.

The cultivar blend 'Rustic Colors' is distinguished by its low stature and an abundance of large flower heads in a warm color palette: from pure gold to bronze, brick-red, and nearly chestnut, often with a contrasting ring at the base of the petals. The plant height is about 35 cm (14 in), with abundant and continuous flowering until frost.

Rudbeckia seeds are medium-small, four-angled, and retain viability for about three years. Before sowing, they are soaked for 6-12 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or in a solution of a growth stimulant: SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminosol, Epin, or Zircon. Scarification and stratification are not required.

For flowering in June and July, sowing for seedlings is conducted in late March or in April. The seeds are distributed over the surface of a moist substrate and lightly covered with a thin layer of soil; the sowing is moistened from a spray bottle, covered with a transparent lid or placed in a propagator, and germinated at a temperature of 16–18 °C (61–64 °F).

Sprouts appear in 2-3 weeks. Sowings are ventilated daily, and condensation is removed. Pricking out is performed after the formation of 2-3 true leaves, into individual small pots. Seedlings are planted in open ground after late spring frosts end, with a spacing of 30–35 cm (12–14 in) between plants.

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The plant needs an open sunny location; in partial shade the bush stretches out and blooms noticeably weaker.

Young plants are heat-loving and do not tolerate frost, so seedlings are planted outdoors only after spring cold snaps end. Adult specimens withstand the first autumn frosts, only slightly altering the coloration of their flower heads.

Watering is regular in dry weather: rudbeckia tolerates heat and prolonged drought poorly, and during severe drying out the flower heads become smaller.

Cultivated, fertile, moderately heavy, yet certainly permeable soil is preferred. In container culture, drainage is placed at the bottom of the pot, and sand is added to heavy garden soil.

Feeding with a complete mineral fertilizer is carried out twice per season, at the start of growth and before flowering. Excess nitrogen produces lush foliage to the detriment of flowering.

Spent flower heads are regularly removed, which noticeably prolongs blooming. Tall specimens in windy locations are provided with support.