Just two weeks ago I put my gardens to bed for the winter, so it’s hard to wrap my head around the idea that in a month I’ll start ordering my flower seeds for next summer.
For the second year in a row we had a very wet summer which made it difficult to grow healthy rudbeckias. I love these plants (like ‘Cherokee Sunset’ pictured above and below), but I usually have trouble getting them to survive an entire summer.
Either the plants turn brown and shrivel up or they develop unsightly powdery mildew. Most of it is my fault because I purposely cram my plants together which doesn’t allow for ample air circulation. I also don’t have the full sun that these plants prefer, so when they do get wet, the leaves don’t dry out as quickly which can speed up the spread of diseases.
That’s still not going to stop me from growing rudbeckias again next year. Even if my rudbeckia growing season is little shorter than normal, the gorgeous flowers are worth it!
