Rudbeckia Denver Daisy™
Great for cutting, and blindingly bright in the sunny garden!
Bred from the native Rudbeckia hirta species and R. 'Prairie Sun,' Denver Daisy™ sports enormous 6- to 8-inch blooms with outstretched petals of purest yellow. At the base of each petal is a dab or two of dark red, creating a halo around the chocolate-brown cone. Stunning in cutflower bouquets and a huge draw in the garden (butterflies and bees take notice ? not to mention songbirds, who feast on the dried seeds in those cones in late fall and early winter), it is a must-have for the sunny border.
Denver Daisy™ reaches 22 to 26 inches high and about 10 to 18 inches wide, with good branching and very strong flower stems. Expect the blooms to begin by late summer and continue well into fall, combining well with the oranges and golds of the harvest season.
Best in average to dry soil, Denver Daisy™ is quite tolerant of drought after its first season of growth. Insects and other pests leave it alone, and its native vigor ensures that it can withstand tough environmental conditions. This is a plant to put front and center in the cutting garden, use as a ribbon of color through the sunny garden, and perhaps even pot up for knock-em-dead color on the deck. Enjoy! Pkt is 25 seeds.
| Genus | Rudbeckia |
| Species | hirta |
| Variety | Denver Daisy™ |
| Bloom Season | Late Summer - Mid Fall |
| Zone | 3 - 9 |
| Seeds Per Pack | 25 |
| Plant Height | 22 in - 2 ft 2 in |
| Plant Width | 12 in - 14 in |
| Bloom Size | 6 in - 8 in |
| Item Form | Seeds |
| Additional Characteristics | Bird Lovers, Bloom First Year, Butterfly Lovers, Cut-and-Come-Again, Direct Sow, Easy Care Plants, Free Bloomer, Repeat Bloomer |
| Bloom Color | Brown, Dark Orange, Red, Yellow |
| Foliage Color | Medium Green |
| Light Requirements | Full Sun |
| Moisture Requirements | Moist, well-drained |
| Resistance | Disease Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Heat Tolerant, Pest Resistant |
| Soil Tolerance | Normal, loamy |
| Uses | Beds, Border, Containers, Cut Flowers, Fall Color, Outdoor |
Bareroot roses are an inexpensive and easy option for early-season planting. In fact, late winter is the best time to plant. Bareroot roses are two-year, fully established plants that meet the highest industry standards. They arrive dormant, which makes them ideal for planting. The roots get to acclimate to native soil, as opposed to the packaged soil. And of course, since they aren’t in soil when you get them, there’s no mess to contend with.
Bareroot roses may look dead, with their brown roots and dormant stem, but plants that arrive this way actually have the advantage of being able to focus their energies on strong root development rather than having to support an extensive growth of leaves during planting, which is very stressful.
You can plant your bareroot roses earlier in the growing season as well, since there aren’t any leaves to get nipped back by frost. They can typically be planted as early as six weeks before your area’s last frost date in the spring and no later than two weeks after that average date. Since they don’t have to provide water to leaves or flowers, they usually establish faster than those that arrive in containers.
Container roses should typically be planted in late spring. They’re easy to plant (all you need is a trowel), and they provide instant gratification, as they aren’t dormant and will have buds within a few short weeks, if they don’t when they arrive. They’re also perfect for transplanting into decorative containers and make an attractive gift.
Container roses are usually nicely leafed out, and may even have flowers on them, which is a great way for you to know when you purchase them what they’re going to look and smell like. The downside of this is that the plants have to focus some of their energy on sustaining the blooms, rather than being able to focus it all on root development.
As you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to both bareroot or container roses, but whichever you decide is the best for your garden, we feel certain you’ll become a lifelong rose lover, if you aren’t already!
