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Repeating rudbeckia

JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
in Plants
Hi all,

I have no greenhouse or cold frames.

Ive had three or four types of rudbeckia from garden centres and tried to revive them the next season - it’s fair to say this has yet to be successful.  I might get one or two feeble plants, not the bushy glorious specimens that I bought!

Im about to procure another 9, maybe more decent sized plants so that won’t be cheap, are there any varieties that are more likely to come back bright eyed next season?  Or are there any care tips I can take to ensure success?

South east london borders, will be full sun for most of them but I can move them about out of season.

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited August 2021
    It depends on the variety - they aren't all hardy perennials   :)

    Cuttings might work - kept on a windowsill over winter
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    edited August 2021
    Hi @JoeX, here's the GW recommendations which you may already have looked at:
    Black-Eyed Susan - Top Rudbeckias to Grow - BBC Gardeners' World Magazine (gardenersworld.com)
    I'd go for number 8 - Rudbeckia fulgida var sullivantii "Goldsturm".  I have four which have reliably flowered for the past three years in a sunny south facing border, despite this year's weather!  They are an outstanding yellow and really light up the border.  The border is mulched with bark, but apart from that they receive no further attention.  Just keep an eye out for slugs when the first fresh leaves appear.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    edited August 2021
    Plantminded said:
    Hi @JoeX, here's the GW recommendations which you may already have looked at:
    Black-Eyed Susan - Top Rudbeckias to Grow - BBC Gardeners' World Magazine (gardenersworld.com)
    I'd go for number 8 - Rudbeckia fulgida var sullivantii "Goldsturm".  I have four which have reliably flowered for the past three years in a sunny south facing border, despite this year's weather!  They are an outstanding yellow and really light up the border.  The border is mulched with bark, but apart from that they receive no further attention.  Just keep an eye out for slugs when the first fresh leaves appear.
    Thanks for the link, Ive tried Goldsturm before but I’m happy to try again if I have something new to try.

    I want them in seasonal pots so either leave them in place with primrose for early spring, muscari bulbs for late spring, then the rudbeckia can take over.

    But if I do nothing different they’ll be dying through winter and eaten by slugs in spring!

    I have just one straggler left alive from 2018:
    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/comment/2086822#Comment_2086822

  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    I have Goldsturm and it over winters fine. They don’t like to dry out so maybe that’s the problem you’re having if they are in pots? I have mixed success with some of mine taking ages to develop (I did divide the original plant quite aggressively) but it’s only the ones in a dry area of the garden which are taking their time (I don’t water my borders). Those elsewhere are fine.
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    Hmm, definitely weren’t drying out.  Some of their stalks and leaves stay green through winter.  

    Okay - how about cutting back dead growth and feeding then?
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    As with any plants in pots, they well certainly benefit from a feed, especially in Spring.  You can do this either by replacing the top inch or two of compost with fresh compost each year or use an organic feed like blood, fish and bone or diluted seaweed extract.  Put a mulch on your pots overwinter to keep out frost but place the pots in the shadow of your house where they will get shelter from too much rain.  Each item in your mixed pot will have different growing needs - the bulbs won't need feeding and may produce more foliage than flowers if they are overfed.  I prefer to use separate pots for each plant or bulb and group the pots together.  This gives you the option to move/replant when necessary to extend your seasonal interest throughout the year.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


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