Growing, Sowing and Arranging Flowers by Jane Wrigglesworth
Dahlias, zinnias and rudbeckias flower throughout summer and autumn, right up to the first frosts. Plant seedlings or plants from your local garden centre for a non-stop floral display.
Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum – pictured on the left) are great for the summer and autumn garden too – and, like dahlias, zinnias and rudbeckias – make great cut flowers. All enjoy full sun and free-draining soil.
A reader recently asked about a lovely looking rudbeckia she came across. “I have a neighbour who has a most striking rudbeckia – which seems to fit the Readers Digest description of Rudbeckia bicolor – flower petals tipped yellow, shading to dark crimson with a brown centre. It also has lovely gold-tipped stamens surrounding the central cone.” Where can she find one of these plants? [Read more…]
Rudbeckia hirta ‘Orange Fudge’ is a new offering from Kings Seeds with fudge-brown cones and orange and yellow bi-coloured petals. It flowers from spring till autumn, tolerates heat, drought and poor soils, grows to a height of 50cm and has sturdy stems that are great for picking.
Rudbeckias are dead easy to grow and you can sow seeds now for a mid to late-summer display. Sow in trays or pots for transplanting later.
