Rudbekia

Rudbeckia or Black Eyed Susans are a long lasting plant.

They grow about 45 to 100 cm. high in full sun and will tolerate dry conditions. It is sometimes listed as a perennial or a hardy biennial. This is a plant you very often see growing wild along the sides of roads and in fields.

Blooms appear towards the end of June and last right through to fall. The plant will attract butterfiles.

This bud is just about to unfurl.


And throughout the garden they will be moving gently in the breeze.
Be sure to continually snip off the spent blooms to encourage more.

At the end of the season let bloom dry out on plant.

After the flower petals fall off, pick the seed head. Running your thumb nail along the seedpod will give you the tiny rudbekia seeds.



I also just tuck the seedpods in among the remaining stems of the plants and it will reseed itself the following year.

Leaving the seedpods on the plant over the winter will provide food for the birds. The plant will also self seed itself.

Liatris

Liatris or Gayfeather is a gorgeous perennial plant with tall, spikey plumes. The plant prefers full sun and easily grows in most types of soil, especailly well drained soil.

This plant attracts bees, butterflies and is deer resistant.

Have a look at the clear wing hummingbird moth that visited the liatris.
The photo above was taken a couple of years ago.

The flower spikes, composed of many little blooms, opens from the top down. Usually plants with spikes open from bottom up.

Last year I found some liatris bulbs at a garden center and planted them. For the first year they are quite small but this year they are quite tall and have at least six flower spikes on them.

The large clump of liatris in my back garden and every year it gives many beautiful blooms. You can see all the flower spikes forming and I can't wait to see the purple blooms on them in a week or so.

Clumps may be divided every 3 or 4 years in the spring. Liatris belongs to the aster family. The spikes are made up a lots of small flowers that open from the top down.

When blooming is finished, let the spike dry on the plant. Seeds are in each little spot where the bloom was. You can snip off the spike and put it upside down in a paper bag, give it a shake every now and then and the seeds will come out. I usually open each little pod and release the seeds with my finger nail.

Seeds need a cool period before germination, which can take 20 to 45 days. Very often I sprinkle some of the seeds around the base of the main plant and let Mother Nature do the rest.
New plants grown from seed will not flower until the second year.

Trade liatris seeds in this printable seed packet.