Rudbeckia seeds transform into a beautiful flower for the cutting garden or the flower bed. They’re easy to start indoors, but they are also great to save seeds from or spread their seeds in the fall for next year’s blooms. Some varieties are annuals while others are perennials. Either way, they are a great beauty to add to your garden.
Why I love Rudbeckia
The first year my husband dated me, he liked my love of flowers. I gave him the rule to only get me flowers that came in dirt. I had no interest in any bouquets. Little did he follow my guidelines.
Not only that, but he re-introduced me to a classic, native Pennsylvania flower- the Brown-Eyed Susan, as he called them, with their brown centers, their golden petals, who brighten meadows in our PA mountains every July.
I wasn’t a fan of this flower then. Over the years as I saw his enjoyment with them, it took me back to when my grandmother would grow a whole section of gloriosa daisy before her front porch. After her death, I connected to this flower like never before, falling in love with its beauty and my memories that bloom every time it blooms.
Brown-Eyed Susan, Black-Eyed Susan, or Gloriosa Daisy?
I call rudbeckia, well, rudbeckia. But when talking to others, they may have a different name for them.
Like I said, my husband calls them brown-eyed susans. Reading conversations in cut flower community, I was appalled he wouldn’t call them their “correct” nickname of black-eyed susans. Lo and behold, he was right to call the perennial rudbeckia in our Pennsylvania meadows brown-eyed susans. Brown-eyed susans refer to rudbeckia triloba, which is the perennial version.
Black-eyed susans refer to the annual varieties like Indian Summer with their dark chocolate to black centers. If you grow these, they can grow back, but not from the original plant. The original rudbeckia plant will drop its seeds all over the flower bed where new plants will germinate, grow, survive winter, and thrive the next season.
Glorisa Daisy is what both my grandma and my mom call rudbeckia. I’m not sure what variety my grandmother grew all those years ago, but it had the classic look with the chocolate centers and the golden leaves. Was it rudbeckia triloba? Indian Summer Rudbeckia? I’m not sure. But I do know that those flowers were always her gloriosa daisies.
Why Start Your Own Rudbeckia from Seed?
I bought rudbeckia plants from a garden center before. I think on clearance it was about $3 per plant. I planted them in late summer, but over our winter, the soil was pushed down, the roots were exposed, and I think the one dormant plant blew away.
A packet of rudbeckia seed may cost $3, but if all the seeds germinate, you should have at least 100 plants of it. With heirloom varieties, you can save your seeds to continue having these plants for free, year after year. So, you choose 100 plants for $3, or 1 plant for $3, if not more.
With the rudbeckia I start from seed, I have great success starting them indoors or direct sowing seeds after the last frost. Even when I sow seeds in the late summer or fall, I have beautiful early rudbeckia the next season.
Where to Buy Rudbeckia Seeds
If you want a simple variety like Indian Summer with the traditional look of chocolate centers and gold daisy-like petals, garden centers and seed companies usually carry these. If you want a more unique variety, try ordering packets from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Botanical Interests, Burpee, and MIGardener.
For cut flowers, I recommend Johnny’s Select Seeds. I love the tall variety of Double Gloriosa Daisy, which takes my grandmother’s rudbeckia, but adds extra petals. I mean, who wouldn’t love that! For bedding varieties, you can plant tall or shorter versions. The Sahara rudbeckia can be used as a cut flower, but I had many with shorter stems. I love the hues of this variety, but it work beautifully in a flower bed too.
My caution of warning with rudbeckia in a flower bed is plan to deadhead your flowers. ALL OF THEM! If left to go to seed in front of your house near your front door where you enter your home, gosh, they can become quite stinky.
My Favorite Rudbeckia
Double Gloriosa Rudbeckia take the traditional Indian Summer Rudbeckia to the next level with double the amount of golden petals. Their long stem lengths make them perfect for floral arrangements and bouquets.
Cherokee Sunset are sometimes a bit hard for me to germinate compared to other varieties, but oh, when they germinate and bloom, so beautiful with their shades of darker reds and chocolates to golden and orange hues.
Sahara Rudbeckia is taking the hues of the Cherokee Sunset, but adding some pastels and pinks to the mix. I mean, they are BEAUTIFUL. Every seed will produce a plant with a different coloring.
When to Start Rudbeckia Seeds Indoors
Rudbeckia seeds take 5-7 weeks before planting out, when started indoors. Rudbeckia are cool hardy, so they can be planted out 4-6 weeks before your average last spring frost date.
My average last spring frost is May 15. 4-6 weeks before this is April 3 to April 17, which is when I can start planting them out. To start seeds indoors, I would need to start sowing February 13 – 27, which 5-7 weeks before April 3.
You can also do succession plantings 2-3 weeks later.
If you would rather wait until your average last frost date to plant, that will work too. With my average last spring frost being May 15, I would calculate starting rudbeckia seeds 5-7 weeks before, which is March 27-April 10.
You can also choose to direct sow your rudbeckia seeds. I’ve never sown the seeds in early spring before the last frost, but I have had success sowing the seeds in late summer where the seedlings over winter for early summer blooms. You can also wait until your average last frost, if you wish.
What do Rudbeckia Seeds Look Like?
Rudbeckia seeds are black, small, and about 2mm long. They come from the center of the rudbeckia, and can be brushed off the center. They are not the smallest of flower seeds, but for seed size, you may need to use a toothpick to move them individually, or just pinch and sow.
How to Sow Rudbeckia Seeds Indoors?
For any standard seed-sowing, I start plants in 72-cell trays with a no-hole tray underneath to catch an excess water from dripping to grow lights, trays, and the floor below.
Fill the cell trays with moistened seed starting mix. I like to use Lambert All-Purpose. Having it pre-mixed is great in saving time, but I like it because it is balanced between the peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite. Seed starting mix should not be compacted, but it should fill each cell to the top.
In every cell, surface sow two to three rudbeckia seeds. If one does not germinate, the other one should. A light covering of vermiculite is okay, but note that rudbeckia seeds do take light to germinate.
How to Direct Sow Rudbeckia Seeds?
If you don’t have a grow light or a greenhouse, yes, you can direct sow rudbeckia seeds! Or, you may want to use direct sowing as your succession planting method.
You can loosen the soil, or you can surface sow on ground that is not tilled. Think about it this way, when rudbeckia seeds naturally fall, they land on non-tilled soil, and then germinate and grow.
However, if you are preparing your soil anyways, direct sow in loosened soil.
Do Rudbeckia Seeds Need Light to Germinate?
Yes. Rudbeckia seeds do require light to germinate. Turn on those grow lights if you are starting inside a house or a garage.
Do You Soak Rudbeckia Seeds First?
No, rudbeckia do not require any special treatment before sowing. As long as the seed starting mix is pre-moistened, you are good to go.
How Long Does It Take Rudbeckia Seeds to Germinate?
At 68-72°F, rudbeckia seeds should take between 8 and 14 days to germinate. If you are not seeing any small growth after two weeks, try sowing again with leftover seeds.
If the soil temperature is a bit lower, the seed can still germinate. It may just take the seed longer. With rudbeckias being cool hardy, I save my heating mat space for other plants and start the rudbeckias indoors without the extra heat.
What Lightening is Necessary for Rudbeckia Seeds?
For flowers, I give mine at least 12 hours per day, but it is recommended for 14-16 hours per day.
I start seedlings indoors under grow lights with timers set. Greenhouse with natural light would work, but realize too that in northern Pennsylvania in late winter and early spring, there is not super long day lengths available.
I do use an unheated greenhouse for move seedlings to when they are older and closer to needing transplanted.
When Do You Start Fertilizing Rudbeckia Seeds?
Once seeds germinate, their first set of leaves are their “baby” leaves. These baby leaves are called cotyledons. At this stage, all the nutrients for the seedling is still coming from what was available in the seed.
As the seedling continues to grow, the second set of leaves appear. These are the “true” leaves. When you look closely, you can see that these true leaves even look like the adult rudbeckia leaves.
This is when it is time to start fertilizing your seedlings with a soluble fertilizer. Fish fertilizer does work, but beware that it will make your basement and house smell like fish poop. My dogs love it, but it is too strong for everyone else! Espoma soluble fertilizers are organic like fish fertilizer, but they don’t have the strong stench.
Thin and Separate Rudbeckia Seedlings
When adding two rudbeckia seeds per cell, there is also the chance that two rudbeckias will germinate. Our end goal is to have just one rudbeckia per cell.
First, wait to do any thinning until the seedlings have their first set of true leaves.
I like to recommend two ways to thin seedlings. One way is to cut and thin out the secondary seedling. The second way is to pull and transplant the seedling.
How to Cut and Thin Rudbeckia Seedlings
One rudbeckia seedling needs the whole cell for itself. It’s time to kick the one out to allow the other one to grow healthy.
Look at the two, maybe three, rudbeckia seedlings to discover which one is healthier. Look for wider stems, green leaves, and taller stems for healthier plants. If all the seedlings seem to be equally healthy, choose the one that is closer to the center.
Take a pair of snips, and cut out the lesser seedlings to have the stronger seedling continue to thrive.
What I like best about this method is none of the roots of the stronger seedling are disturbed. They can continue to keep growing strong in the cell.
How to Pull and Transplant Rudbeckia Seedlings
When pulling and transplanting seedlings, you are using every rudbeckia you have started. This is good if you have low germination and want as many rudbeckias as you can.
You do need to be careful because there is the chance of breaking the small seedlings.
First, remove the secondary seedlings by gently grasping the bottom of the rudbeckia stem and pulling it carefully out of the soil. If seedlings are close together, it is okay to pull more than one seedling out at a time. If it is easier to pull all the seedlings, then go ahead to then transplant all the seedlings from that cell.
Take the rudbeckia seedlings and transplant into a new cell with pre-moistened seed starting mix. Create a hole for the seedling’s root to enter. This all depends on the size of the roots available. Press the seed starting soil to secure the seedling in place.
Growing Rudbeckia from Seeds
Once you have your rudbeckia seeds started, you will be growing stunning rudbeckia in your flower gardens. Enjoy them as bedding flowers, but remember to prune once the blooms are done for another round of beauty come late summer or fall. Plant them a cut flower garden to enjoy harvesting them to create stunning bouquets.
When fall comes, try saving the seeds to start more indoors or to spread them around to germinate for the next growing season. It is also fun to try to see which ones will reproduce on their own, whether you keep your perennial ones going healthy or the annual varieties reseed on their own.
However, it’s your choice how to grow them and let them reproduce, you will enjoy growing these beautiful rudbeckias from seed to bloom.
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