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GROWING WITH EDUCATION (Continued)  and wide with bright yellow petals surrounding a yellow   center eye. ‘Little Goldstar’ is
 ball. ‘Sombrero’ has excellent resistance to powdery mildew   a compact plant with 2 -2 ½
 that when inhaled would cause the person to sneeze. It is   and is a part of the Mariachi™ series which also includes   inch golden yellow flowers,
 not like Ragweed, which has such light pollen, that it has   ‘Fuego’ (which blooms a bicolored mix of fiery orange, red   and ‘Viette’s Little Suzy’ is also
 been collected 2 miles in the sky and 6 miles out to sea.   and yellow), ‘Salsa’ (which blooms with dark bold red petals   a very compact plant growing
 Plants grow 3-5 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide and bloom from   surrounding a brown ball), and ‘Siesta’ (which blooms in   1-1 ½ feet tall and 1 foot wide.
 September to November, or the first hard frost. The 2-inch   bright bluish red petals surrounding a marron eye). ‘Riverton   From July to September these
 daisy like flowers   Beauty’ has soft yellow petals surrounding a brown eye. For   small but mighty plants
 have 7-20 bright   something special, look to ‘Tie Dye’, a French hybrid that   produce an abundance of
 Designing a garden   yellow ray petals   displays 3 dimensional petals with goldenrod yellow on top   bright yellow flowers and are
 that circle around a
 with native herbaceous   center yellow gold   and orange on the bottom, that curl upwards, and surround   a great addition to the front
 a burgundy eye.
        of landscapes.
 perennials can be fun,   ball. Each ray petal is   Rudbeckia laciniata, or Cut Leaf Coneflower, thrives in full sun   I hope that you have enjoyed
 wedge shaped and
 and challenging, when   has 3 lobes on the   to partial shade in well drained soils. This plant fits in well   the rainbows of colors, the
        wide variety of textures, and
 in Maryland with its tolerance for hot and humid summers.
 tips of the petals. The
 the garden plants need   fertile flowers in the   Plants can grow 2 -9 feet tall and 1 ½ - 3 feet wide, but usually   the various heights that this
        selection of native herbaceous
 stay about 3-4 feet tall. Plants spread by rhizomes and can
 ball open from the
 to thrive despite the   outside in. The plants   colonize. The 3 ½ inch flowers have a green centered dome   perennials, which have proven
 hungry appetites of   have strong winged   with drooping yellow ray petals. They are held aloft on   to be less dear to deer. We are   PHOTOS ABOVE AND BELOW:
        fortunate to be in a state that
 branching stems with light green lance shaped leaves and
 stems which branch
 our native whitetail   near the top so the   bloom from July to October. The lower 6-inch-long leaves   welcomes so many beautiful   Pycnanthemum muticum, short toothed mountain mint with bee
        flowerings plants in so many different soil types, heat and
 have 3-5 deep lobes. Bees are their main pollinators and visit
 whole top is full of
                                                                Eupatorium dubium ‘Baby Joe’
 deer.  bouquets of flowers.   for both nectar and pollen. Monarchs and other butterflies,   cold zones to keep our landscapes vibrant from the earliest   PHOTO; LEFT: Rudbeckia Hirta Black Eyed Susans
 The dark green lance   skippers, and beneficial wasps thrive on the nectar in   of springtime to the bitter cold of winters.  A  Photo credit: Ginny Rozenkranz
 shaped foliage can   the central eye. The foliage is a host plant for the silvery
 grow 3-6 inches   checkerspot, wavy-lined emerald moth and other butterflies,
 long, lightly toothed   and the seeds are enjoyed by the American Goldfinch. A
 and attached to the stems in an alternate pattern. When in   number of cultivars including ‘Hortensia’, or ‘Golden Glow’,
 flower, several butterflies, bees and flies visit for the nectar,   have 3-inch flowers that are fully double yellow ray petals
 including the red admirals. All parts of the Sneezeweed   with no central eye. ‘Autumn Sun’ flowers bloom for over 8
 are poisonous if eaten in large quantities. One of the main   weeks with the flowers stretching 4-5 inches across with bright
 problems with the Sneezeweed family is their susceptibility   yellow broad ray petals that surround a pale green eye.
 to powdery mildew. Mt. Cuba’s research showed that the   Rudbeckia fulgida, or Orange Coneflower, thrives in full
 species had excellent resistance to powdery mildew, as   sun to partial shade and rich well drained soils. Plants
 did ‘Can Can’, with deep red ray petals edged with sunny   are upright clump forming, growing 2-3 feet tall and 1-2
 yellow. ‘Flammendes Kachen’ blooms in July in orange red   feet wide, and can form colonies by spreading through
 ray petals edged in yellow, and gradually fades to a soft   rhizomes. Once established the plants are very drought
 bronze. ‘Tijuana Brass’ has large flowers that feature semi   tolerant. An evergreen rosette of leaves in the spring gives
 double overlapping yellow ray petals that surround a dark   rise to branched stems that are covered with oval lance
 yellow eye. There are several cultivars that brighten up   shaped 3–6-inch green leaves. The 2 ½ inch daisy-like flowers
 the late summer to frost landscape. ‘Balsaluemb’ or Salud   bloom prolifically from June to October with 10 – 20 bright
 Embers, is a compact selection growing 1-1 ½ feet tall and   yellow ray petals surrounding brown center eyes. Flowers
 wide and produces brightly bicolored ray petals that are   provide nectar for many pollinators, and both the wavy-lined
 red tipped with yellow gold. ‘Butterfat’ is a compact plant   emerald moth and the silvery checkerspot butterfly larvae
 growing 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide with 3-inch-wide bright   feed on the foliage. Songbirds, especially goldfinches, enjoy   Ginny Rosenkranz
 yellow ray petals surrounding a yellow brown eye. ‘Helena   the seeds in the late fall and winter. There are many excellent   Extension Educator, Commercial
 Red Shades’ grows 4 feet tall with red maroon petals tipped   cultivars including ‘Early Bird Gold’, a compact plant   Horticulture, University of Maryland
 and streaked in golden yellow surrounding a dark red eye.   growing 2 feet tall with stiff upright stems and 3–4-inch gold   Extension, Dorchester, Somerset,
                            Wicomico and Worchester County
 ‘Moerheim Beauty’ grows 2-3 feet tall on ridged stems,   petaled flowers. Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii, also called   410 749-6141 x106
 blooming with coppery red ray petals surrounding a dark   ‘Goldstrum’, grows 2- 3 feet tall with large 3–4-inch yellow   rosnkrnz@umd.edu
 eye. ‘Sombrero’ is a compact plant growing 1 ½ to 2 feet tall   gold petaled flowers surrounding a dark brownish black

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