Rudbeckia named Toto Rustic #4
by J McCombie
Title
Rudbeckia named Toto Rustic #4
Artist
J McCombie
Medium
Photograph - Untouched
Description
This piece has been featured in the FAA "Macro Photography Group".
Toto Rustic is a short-statured, floriferous black-eyed Susan grown for its rustic 3" two-tone flowers. This clump-forming, short-lived perennial (sometimes treated as an annual) originates from North America. All summer, it bears many large daisies with petals that are chocolate-burgundy at the base and golden yellow at the tips. These appear on short, stout 14" well-branched stems lined with hairy dark green leaves. Each plant becomes covered with flowers, which are manna to bees and butterflies. Common black-eyed Susan grows best in full sun and well drained, average soil. It is prone to root rot and powdery mildew, so it's best to provide it with good air flow and avoid over watering. Plants are easily grown from seed and will self-sow if given the opportunity. The dwarf Toto Rustic is ideal for hot, sunny containers and mixed borders, bedding plants, edging, wildflowers and cut flowers. Remove spent flowers regularly to extend flowering. Seed heads have good winter interest, and can be used in dried arrangements.
Rudbeckias were grown in English gardens many years before they were accepted by Americans as worthy garden plants. One of the earliest selections was Rudbeckia laciniata, known in the early 1600s as Doronicum americanum. British plant collector John Tradescant was given roots of the wildflower by French settlers in the New World. The plant was shared with others including John Parkinson, the famous English herbalist and an early botanist, and was soon popular in English gardens. By the mid-1800s, the rudbeckia had found its way back to America and was described by one early garden writer as the darling of the ladies who are partial to yellow. Growing throughout the prairies and plains, it was used medicinally by many Native Americans to care for both people and horses. The roots and flowers were made into teas and compresses to treat a variety of ailments including snake bites, worms, earaches, indigestion, burns and sores. In 1918, the black-eyed Susan was named the state flower of Maryland. The choice was not unanimously popular, however. Those in favor of the selection saw it as a beautiful flower that created splendid fields of color during summer and fall. In bloom it echoed the black and gold found in the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore, the founding proprietor of the Maryland Colony. The opposition noted that black-eyed Susan was not native to the state and many people saw it as a common weed. Today it is cherished throughout the state as a popular symbol of many awards, businesses and organizations.
This premier group of plants was given its Latin designation in 1740 by famed botanist Carl von Linnbetter known as Carl Linnaeus. The genus name Rudbeckia honored Linnaeuss botany professor, Olaf Rudbeck, and Rudbecks father who had founded the botanical garden at Uppsala University in Sweden. Linnaeus told Rudbeck that so long as the earth shall survive, and each spring shall see it covered with flowers, the Rudbeckia will preserve your glorious name. Rudbeckias have been known by a variety of common names including conedisk, conedisk sunflower, tall coneflower, and brown-eyed Susans. Today they are most often called coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, gloriosa daisies or rudbeckia.
There are 25 species of Rudbeckia including perennials, biennials and annuals. All are native to North America and are generally found growing in the East and Midwest, though they have now naturalized throughout most of the United States and can be seen in fields and gardens from Canada to Mexico. A member of the Aster family, the rudbeckias daisy-like flowers come in single, semi-double and fully-double forms in a range of colors from lemon-yellow to gold, chestnut, mahogany, and bronze, as well as multi-colored blooms. Most species are in bloom from midsummer through fall. Plants have coarse-textured, hairy green leaves. The largest group of rudbeckias for the garden is Rudbeckia hirta. Often called gloriosa daisy, there are many varieties available in a wide range of sizes. Flowers bloom from July until frost in shades of orange, orange-yellow and yellow. Rudbeckia hirta is a short-lived perennial and is grown as an annual in Northern areas. Plants are biennial or perennial in Southern regions. Several shorter varieties are available for growing in containers and in small gardens. Toto is dwarf and compact with smaller flowers covering the 12- to 15-inch tall plants. There are several single colors available as well as a mix.
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September 24th, 2016
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