Rudbeckia hirta Cherry Brandy Seeds

The Rudbeckia x hirta 'Cherry Brandy' is a short-lived perennial plant created by Thompson & Morgan, offering for the first time entirely and truly red flowers. Its inflorescences, resembling double daisies, display a cherry red colour with hints of purple and light red towards the tips of the petals and are constantly renewed from July to October on a stout plant, magnificent in borders, flower beds and pots. Indifferent to heat and poor soils, it blooms equally well in sunny or semi-shady locations.

The Rudbeckia x hirta 'Cherry Brandy' is a recent cultivar resulting, among other things, from the rudbeckia hirta, a wild plant from the aster family native to the prairies of North America. It is a short-lived perennial plant often cultivated as an annual or biennial. In fact, it will not last more than 2 to 3 years in the garden, but it readily self-seeds quite easily. 'Cherry Brandy', shorter than its ancestor, will reach a height of 60 cm (24in) and spread about 40 cm (16in). This cultivar stands out with the sensational colour of its red flowers with satin and iridescent petals. The inflorescences of the Rudbeckia Cherry Brandy are large solitary daisies (heads) with a diameter of 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4in), centred on a prominent black-violet cone. Many flowers follow one another from July to October on the plant, forming an impressive mass. At the end of summer, the petals fade and fall, while the heart of the flowers dries and becomes mummified. The flowers can then be picked and incorporated into a dried bouquet. The foliage consists of a tuft of basal lanceolate, dentate leaves, dark green, 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4in) long, from which robust and branched floral stems arise. The stems bear narrower cauline leaves that are rather oval.

The stout silhouette of the Rudbeckia Cherry Brandy allows it to fit into perennial borders, flower beds and large flower pots. It can be paired with other varieties or accompanied by inulas, asters, yarrows, daisies, echinops, phlox. Lighten the scene by mixing in a few ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia, Muhlenbergia capillaris... Splendid in flower beds, its beautiful colors are also very attractive in fresh or dried flower bouquets. It provides a source of fresh flowers for creating magnificent summer bouquets. Hardy, the plant likes sunny or semi-shady locations but doesn't mind the soil; it is a particularly heat-resistant variety and tolerant of dry and poor soils.

An ecological asset: Throughout the summer, the nectar-rich flowers of Rudbeckias attract pollinating insects and butterflies to your garden. A good way to improve the ecosystem of your garden and promote the production of fruits and vegetables in your vegetable garden. In autumn, you can admire the constant ballet of birds that come to feed on the mature seeds they find in the hearts of the dried flowers.