Types and varieties of rudbeckia

Any garden and personal plot can be turned into a real masterpiece by planting various types and varieties of rudbeckia. These rather tall plants will delight the eye with large sunny flowers. One of the key advantages is the variety of colors and shades. Among other things, it is worth noting that rudbeckia will be the best choice for gardeners who, for one reason or another, do not have the opportunity to devote a lot of time to caring for the site. The list of clear advantages of flowers includes ease of maintenance, as well as maximum resistance to disease and pest attacks.

The natural habitat of wild rudbeckia is North America. There, in nature, there are 15 species of these flowers, which the locals call "Black-eyed Susan". By the way, this name is even reflected in the poetry of the 18th century. But the official Latin term Rudbeckia was the result of the works of Charles Linnaeus. It was this famous botanist who used the works of Professor Olof Rudbeck in the course of describing the species of these plants.

One of the most popular varieties today is brilliant rudbeckia. In the wild, this perennial, which has a simple form, grows in the south of North America. Different varieties reach a height of 0.3 to 0.7 m. The species predictably owes its name to the characteristic brilliance of yellow flowers.

As a result, brilliant rudbeckia is appreciated primarily for its spectacular-looking yellow buds and a long period of opening of flowers. The species is distinguished by rather long petals, due to which the inflorescences can reach 12 cm in diameter. Flowering ends with the formation of seed heads, which look quite attractive and are also a decoration of the site. The described species has tough shoots, and therefore experienced gardeners prefer to plant a shiny rudbeckia in the middle of flower beds, so that it becomes a spectacular backdrop for smaller plants.

The most popular varieties include the following varietal varieties:

• Var. Sullivantii and Var. Speciosa - are distinguished by large yellow inflorescences with dark (brown) centers;
• Viette's Little Suzy - has golden inflorescences;
• Gold strum - tall (up to 0.7 m) variety with yellow flowers.

In addition to all of the above, it should be noted that all known varieties of brilliant rudbeckia are honey plants... Their frequent visitors are bees and colorful butterflies. Areas with good lighting are ideal for active growth, full development and abundant, long-lasting flowering. On the other hand, the plant tolerates partial shade well. Features also include unpretentiousness to the composition of the soil and frost resistance.

Plants belonging to this variety and also called beautiful rudbeckia are bushes up to 0.5 m high. Key features of the view:

• elongated leaves with rounded contours;
• large buds (inflorescences can reach 10 cm in diameter);
• the center of the inflorescences is decorated with a bulge formed by tubular brown petals;
• framed in the middle with flat orange and yellow leaves.

In addition to all of the above, it is also worth noting that the tips of the petals of these perennial undersized flowers are jagged.Thanks to this feature, they look aesthetically pleasing against the background of the plant itself.

This variety reaches a height of 2 meters. Moreover, one of the important features is the absence of characteristic hairs on the shoots. The species, which has smooth and feathery leaves, is distinguished by an abundance of flowers against the background of many "congeners". They form in July and remain on the bushes until the very end of the summer season.

Bright yellow inflorescences can grow up to 12 cm in diameter. It is also worth highlighting the varieties Goldquelle and Golden Glow, which are distinguished by their double basket-like inflorescences. In practice, many gardeners successfully grow dissected rudbeckia along the walls of buildings, as well as fences.

Assessing the diversity of the described plants, it is worth highlighting rudbeckia purple, which is a close relative of the famous echinacea. This tall species belongs to perennials, and its powerful stems grow up to 1 meter in height. Under favorable conditions, from mid-July, and in other cases a month later, inflorescences in the form of large baskets are formed on long peduncles. The diameter of pink (sometimes purple) flowers reaches 10 cm.

Due to its aesthetics, the purple look is very often and successfully used when creating compositions both on garden plots and on lawns. Experienced florists advise before planting to carry out high-quality soil processing with obligatory digging to a depth of about 20 cm... It should also be borne in mind that the older the purple rudbeckia, the better it will withstand the winter period. It is better to cover juveniles well, protecting them from frost.

Other common types are worth considering.

• Giant - a species that logically owes its name to the size of the bushes. Also, the features include green leaf plates with a slight white bloom. Bright yellow flowers are located on high receptacles and form cones. The plant is characterized by resistance to drought and frost.

• Western - a less common variety. A distinctive feature is the absence of yellow petals, instead of which green sepals with elongated brown tubular centers can be seen on the bushes.

• Hybrid - a species characterized by outstanding decorativeness and characterized by the fact that it has collected the main properties of hairy, glossy and dissected rudbeckia. In diameter, simple semi-double and double inflorescences reach 20 cm. One of the most common varieties is Gloriosa Daisy, or Terry Daisy, grown as an annual.

• Tribola - a plant that grows in height from 1 to 1.4 m during the active growing season. Record abundant flowering (bushes are literally covered with small stars) does not last long in comparison with many other species.

Also worthy of attention rudbeckia post-felt, which is a relatively low variety. The main feature in this case can be called the original structure of the petals, resembling a scapula. Almost along the entire length, they are wrapped inward, and open literally at the very tip. Another bright and spectacular representative of a huge family is rudbeckia toto, which features two-color petals. This species rarely grows more than 0.3 m, but at the same time it is distinguished by abundant flowering, which determines its popularity among landscape designers.

The most popular are the following varietal varieties.

• "Cappuccino" – a variety belonging to the hairy rudbeckia and having a branched stem with dense foliage, reaching 0.4 m in length. Large flowers have 2 colors: yellow with orange (ligulate) and dark red (tubular).

• "Marmalade" - an elegant annual from the Asteraceae family. A distinctive feature is the formation of many peduncles. The surface of the leaf blades is abundantly covered with villi. The shoots of the plant are upright and at the same time rigidly pubescent.

• "Amber" - medium-sized (up to 0.6 m) species, the stem of which is densely covered with characteristic hairs. Open and well-lit areas are ideal for growing.

• "Golden ball" - a perennial that has time to reach a height of 2.5 m during the growing season. Green leaf plates are strongly dissected.

In addition to all the varietal varieties listed, the species are also deservedly popular. White Swan, Green Wizard, Mizou, Autumn Forest, Golden Ray, Mokka, Maya, Amarillo Gold and Cherokee Sunset.

One of the main distinguishing features of the variety is strong growth, as well as the vastness and splendor of the bushes. The latter are capable of reaching 0.5 m in height, and when creating the most favorable conditions, individual specimens exceed the mark of 0.8 m. Another feature of the species is solid, shiny, lanceolate leaf plates with sharp teeth along the edges. The inflorescences in the form of baskets are formed by orange ligulate flowers. In this case, the middle elements are tubular and have a dark purple color.

This species is easily recognizable by its powerful bushes and erect shoots, the height of which can be up to 0.7 m. Also, the list of features includes:

• oval (slightly elongated) shape of leaf plates without omission;
• bright yellow inflorescences are crowned with brown centers, which can stretch up to 3 cm in height;
• at the base are tubular red, and on the sides - yellow petal flowers.

This is another popular variety, which is also called "Rudbekiya Khirta" or "Moreno". The height of these bushes, under appropriate conditions and care, reaches 0.8 m. The natural habitat of the species is the North American prairies. In local climatic and weather conditions, hairy rudbeckia is an annual plant. It tolerates high temperatures and drought quite well.

One of the clear advantages of the species is the variety of varieties, the height of which varies in the range from 0.3 to 1 m. The bushes bloom from summer to mid-autumn.

Flowers are formed by golden petals and dark (contrasting) heads. Today, there are varieties that have rusty, yellow and orange inflorescences. There are also two-color varieties. Also worth highlighting is the variety called Rustic Dwarfs. Its peculiarity lies in more than a wide range of warm shades (from yellow to red) petals.

The following varieties are no less interesting:

• tall Golden Glow, distinguished, judging by the name, golden color;
• Cherry Brandy is an aesthetic varietal variety that delights with burgundy flowers with chocolate-colored hearts;
• "Cherokee Sunset" - has double flowers of orange color.

Among other things, varieties are worthy of attention Gold Strum and Sophia. These sunny yellow varieties of rudbeckia hairy differ from each other mainly in height. The first and second grades reach heights of 0.8 and 0.45 m, respectively.