Rudbeckia hirta Goldilocks Seeds

The 'Goldilocks' Rudbeckia is a short-lived perennial plant but fast-growing and highly floriferous, most often grown as an annual. Its heads are composed of a semi-double to double collar of intense golden yellow, arranged around a central cone of black colour. Despite its modest size, this variety offers a generous flowering, which renews from the heart of summer until late autumn, with new flowers hiding their fading predecessors. It can be admired up close in bouquets, where its flowers are very long-lasting, and in flowerpots or flower beds. Easy to grow, this plant thrives in full sun and ordinary soil, moist to occasionally dry. 

The annual 'Goldilocks' rudbeckia belongs to the Asteraceae family. Its ancestor, Rudbeckia hirta, also known as Hairy Coneflower, is a short-lived perennial native to the United States. There, it grows in meadows, pastures, and cultivated fields where it is considered an adventive.

 'Goldilocks' is a compact and particularly floriferous cultivar. It is a herbaceous plant that develops primarily unbranched stems covered with large, stiff hairs that are slightly rough to the touch. Reaching 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24in) in height when in bloom, with a spread of 38cm (15in), the plant has an erect and bushy habit. The flowers bloom from July to October. Each head consists of a central disk shaped like a flattened and rounded cone, composed of numerous almost black tubular flowers. This cone is surrounded at the base by a collar of dark yellow to orange ligulate flowers, more or less double. The lower leaves, ovate and pointed, about 10 cm (4in) long, with toothed edges, appear in basal tufts. The leaves of the stems, called cauline leaves, are smaller and sessile (without petioles), with a rounded to cordate base.

Both an architectural plant and an accent plant, the Hairy Coneflower quickly structures your flower beds and fits well in flowerpots thanks to its compact and round habit, offering excellent flowering without restraint. Its strong presence, due to the contrast of colours, requires it to be associated with plants with light flowering, such as evening primroses (Oenothera versicolor Sunset Boulevard), Felicitas, nemesis, or lobelias in flowerpots. In a countryside garden, mix it, for example, with inulas, Ammi visnaga, or ornamental carrots. Its sunny flowers will also be enhanced by the architectural design of tall miscanthus, such as Miscanthus sinensis Yaku-Jima, Silberspinne, and transmorrisonensis.

All Rudbeckias are dye plants (especially R. hirta and R. laciniata) due to the presence of molecules called flavonols in their tissues. The inflorescences yield yellow-orange colours, while the entire plant provides yellow-green shades. 

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