posted
Sorry for the re-post! Just trying a different subject line...
I bought some beautiful flowers yesterday called "Rudbeckia Irish Eyes." The tag says they're a perennial, but now that I'm researching them I see they're known as a weak perennial normally treated like an annual. Apparently they might survive a couple winters or they might not.
What do you all think I should do? Does anyone have experience with this type of flower? They're beautiful, but I'm trying to decide whether to return them or plant them.
My big question... how hard will it be to keep them going? Can I plant the spent flower center or harvest seeds and plant them somehow? Does anyone know how to do it or know how successful I'm likely to be? I'm willing to do a little intervention if they will keep coming up-- otherwise, back to the store!
Thanks!
Plants: 5 | From: U.S. | Registered: Jun 2004
| Seeded: 65.24.36.28
posted
Hi Beezus, I think it all depends on how much time and effort you are willing to put in to keeping it going and how much room you have in your garden to let it self sow. You don't say where you live and neither does your profile, but I would think that you could let the dried seed heads stay up for the winter and just let the seeds sow where they want. You could let the seed heads dry, collect the seed and winter sow them or you could collect them and sow them in the spring. It's a gamble, but if you like the plant enough it might be worth experimenting with.
Here's some information on winter sowing, but I also have an easy way to do it. If you're interested, just let me know and I'll send the directions along to you.
* * * * When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. Plants: 271 | From: Maryland zone 7 | Registered: Sep 2002
| Seeded: 68.55.145.196
posted
That's just what I was hoping for! I think it will be fun to experiment with the seeds a little bit. I went ahead and planted them-- if you could send me your instructions through this forum's private messages, or just post them in this thread, that would be awesome.
Thanks so much! Plants: 5 | From: U.S. | Registered: Jun 2004
| Seeded: 65.24.36.28
* * * * When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. Plants: 271 | From: Maryland zone 7 | Registered: Sep 2002
| Seeded: 68.55.145.196
posted
I planted 3 Irish Eyes Rudbeckia last year and only one came back this year. I'm told good drainage is very important to their return success rate.
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