Two weeks ago I expressed my frustration at some rudbeckias that had croaked on me. It turns out I looked at the wrong plant map. ‘Sahara’ is NOT the cultivar that bit the dust, it was ‘Cherokee Sunset’:
‘Sahara’ started blooming not long after I wrote that post, and I’ve been quite pleased with the variety of flowers this cultivar displays:
‘Sahara’ grows 20 inches tall with double and semi-double flowers in shades like cream, copper, burnt-rose and amber. The plants are sturdy with good branching. They prefer full sun but they will tolerate partial shade.
I had trouble sprouting all of my rudbeckias this year, and ‘Sahara’ was no exception. I’m chalking it up to a winter cold snap that made our basement unusually chilly in late February.
If my plants stay healthy and continue to crank out more of these handsome flowers, I’ll definitely grow ‘Sahara’ again next year.
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We finally began to get some warm weather starting the first week of August. My flowers began to bud and are now in bloom. Your Sahara Rudbeckia are a real eye catcher. Mine, as I think I noted previously , did not make it. I think I might have received the wrong seed. The few that germinated were all single yellows and eventually succumbed to the wet cold July weather. The other rudbeckias are blooming now – Cherokee Sunset, Denver Daisy, TigerEye and Cappucccino and Becky. The latter for a very windy spot.
But I am going to try again. Swallowtail is out for now. I can get it at Hardy Seed. Are you familiar with that company? With the difference in the Canadian Dollar where ever I get it, it’s going to be costly and more costly if the dollar continues to fall.
I did get a packet of Ruby Ruby at Vesey’s but didn’t try it last year. Seems like a shorter rudbeckia. Hopefully your Saharas will continue to do well. James
Hi James! I’m glad that you’re finally getting to enjoy some blooming flowers this summer. ‘Sahara’ blooms in many interesting colors, but not in yellow (at least that I’ve seen online or in my own flowerbeds), so I think you’re right—you must’ve been sent the wrong seed.
My other rudbeckias are having a rougher time of it. After a wet June and July we’ve now transitioned to extremely dry conditions, so the plants that had diseases from all the rain are now croaking from the lack of rain…the unexpected joys of gardening…:) I have one really nice clump of ‘Autumn Colors’, and ‘Sahara’ still looks good, but the rest of the rudbeckias are a big ol’ mess. I have not heard of Hardy Seed and could not find them in a search. Is it hardyplants.com?
I looked up ‘Ruby Ruby’ and those red flowers are gorgeous. I tried ‘Cherry Brandy’ several years ago (some color similarity), but it did not sprout well or do very well in my flowerbeds. I’ll have to give ‘Ruby Ruby’ a try. Thanks for the tip!
Sorry, but it’s hardyplants.com. James. They seemto have a wide variety of annuals and perennials. Their prices and shipping charges are great for US customers. I had some seeds from that company when the Canadian dollar was roughly on par with the American. I still might give it a try! James
Thanks for the clarification! I love discovering new seed sources!
I finally broke down and ordered a packet of Sahara from Plants of Distinction in the UK. To my surprise three of the original plants that I grew from Sahara were not yellow. Two I had given to a lady across our street and one I had planted in our cottage garden!!! The latter was very small with a pale rose color. Woe is me! James
My plants have started drying up now. All of my rudbeckias struggled this year. It was so wet in June that they all developed diseases. I will definitely try Sahara again. I thought the colors were so very interesting. Hopefully more sellers will offer it this winter so you can try again!
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