Sunday, September 14, 2008

Rudbeckias (Coneflowers)

At last. A dry weekend which coincides with me having time to attend to the grass. The weather has been so unfriendly that its run to about 4 inches, which is way too long for the mulcher. It'll need to be cut for three days in a row to bring things back under control. After the first cut it looks a bit as if I'm taking a crop of silage form the lawn.
Its Rudbeckia time in the hot border - and will be until the frost. The wet summer really suits them. This is the most commonly grown Rudbeckia. I think its called 'Goldquelle' and its about 30 inches high. Spreads well, and really easy to divide in spring. Its just about the best value yellow border plant around. No weaknesses - except that it does need water in a severe drought. But then, who doesn't. Its the Bishop of Llandaff Dahlias providing the red in the background. I use 'The Bishop' as a 'gap filler' in the hot border.
I really like this Rudbeckia. Not sure what its called. About 12 inches taller than 'Goldquelle', and just a shade more subtle (though subtlety is not their strenght). No faults - and a bit less prone to succumb to the severe drought. Its crocosmia, Emily McKensie providing the orange/red in front.
This Rudbeckia is about 6 feet tall and only suitable for the back of a border. I don't know its name, but we like it a lot. Its not fully out yet, but you can get the idea. We grow it amongst other tall and strong plants, but it does stand up on its own surprisingly well. No garden is complete without Rudbeckias.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I love coneflowers, and have them in several colors. This year I was surprised by a coneflower plant springing up on the opposite site of the yard from where I'd originally planted one--an unexpected treat.