Golden balloon flower

Rudbeckia conquered many with its lush flowers of bright yellow color. The most famous variety of this plant is also called Golden Balls. The golden ball flower blooms almost all summer and before the onset of cold weather: from July to October. The main feature of these flowers is their unpretentiousness and ease of planting.

Flower golden ball perennial

K. Linnaeus is rightfully considered the discoverer of rudbeckia. Rubekia later "moved" from the Atlantic to the European part of the Earth.
In the wild, the following types of rudbeckia exist: dissected, glossy, hairy, shiny.

Such a variety as the "Golden Ball" originated precisely from the dissected rudbeckia. These plants are perennial, they reach a height of 2 to 2.5 meters. The leaves are green, very strongly dissected. The flowers are round in shape, the diameter of the flowers varies around 10 cm. The inflorescences are a collection of tubular petals with reed petals around.

The Golden Balls themselves differ mainly in height. Golden balls grow no more than one meter. Before the intervention of breeders, the Golden Ball had one important drawback, which was that the high parts of the bush tilted on different sides due to their own weight. It is not difficult to guess that this greatly spoiled the beauty of the rudbecky flower beds.

Golden balloons flowers growing

Rudbeckia does not require complex care. Even without basic proper care, she can live long enough. However, despite this, it is worth adhering to simple rules for caring for a flower.

Rudbeckia prefer well-lit areas. Before planting rudbeckia, you need to plow the soil by 20-20 cm, and also clear the garden of weeds. Later, use humus or compost, as well as mineral fertilizers. Humus or compost is needed in the region of 5kg per 1 square meter.

The best period for planting seedlings is May. The advantage of planting seedlings is that the plant blooms in the same season.

Sequence of planting stages:
1. Dig holes in the ground at intervals of about 40 cm.
2. Place the seedling in the hole, dig in.
3. Water.
4. There is no need to tamp the soil.
5. Until the rubequia takes root, it is necessary to water it regularly.

Planting rudbeckia seeds is also acceptable. However, the soil should not be heavy, slightly acidic or neutral. Seed planting should take place in the middle of the first month of June.

The seeds are not deepened into the ground, they are placed in the ground with an interval of 15 cm. Sprinkle a little earth on top and water it abundantly. Small bushes of greenery should grow by autumn. Next year, in the spring, you need to plant these bushes at a distance of half a meter from each other.

Seed planting has its pros and cons. On the one hand, in this way, the rubequia will bloom only the next year. On the other hand, it will bloom earlier than planted with seedlings.

Flower golden balloon care

In this article, we will consider the conditions for caring for rudbeckia in the open field.
These flowers are considered to be quite drought tolerant. However, rudbeckia will feel better if the watering is more abundant in hot weather. If this is not done, the flowers may lose their beauty.

After the rudbeckia has faded, cut off the part of the plant that is above the ground. About 10 cm should remain from the stem.
In open areas, rudbeckia grows very quickly and can interfere with neighboring plants. This is important to consider when planting plants.You can choose a separate place for the rudbeckia or make a partition for the roots.

Every 5 years the flower needs to be thinned out, you can remove whatever you want. It is not necessary to cover the flower in winter.
Fertilize rudbeckia in May and late summer. The first feeding is done before flowering, the second can be done in the first days of autumn. Any mineral complex is suitable for feeding this plant. Without feeding, the plants will be less lush and the flowers will be less vivid in color.

Pests of rudbeckia are not terrible, like diseases. It is quite resistant to both the first and the second. If you run the plant hard, then powdery mildew can appear on it. This disease manifests itself as a white bloom on the plant. If you still allowed this, then you will need to spray the plants with liquid copper sulfate or colloidal sulfur.

If you notice brown spots on rudbeckia, it means that there is a leaf nematode. If your plant is sick with this disease, it is worth spraying it with Basamid or Nemaphos.

Reproduction of Golden Balls

Reproduction of rudbeckia does not require human effort. The golden ball grows beautifully by self-seeding. If you want to breed it, you can buy ready-made seedlings at any garden store.

You can also get seedlings on your own. To do this, you need to follow a few simple steps. First, plant the seeds in pots in early spring. Then the rudbeckia will bloom in the same year. Stratification can be done before planting seeds. It will need to be spent a little less than a month before disembarkation, 3 weeks will be enough. This procedure should be carried out as follows: place the seeds in the refrigerator for the specified period, then keep them at room temperature for several days.

Ordinary garden soil in combination with humus and sand is excellent for the substrate. Seeds must be planted no more than 3 mm in depth; a distance of at least 10 cm must be observed between each planting material.

In order to grow beautiful flowers from seeds, it is imperative to cover them with foil or glass. After planting the seeds, you need to do a little watering. Before the first shoots appear, the size of which is already for planting, you need to ventilate the soil and make small watering.

The first shoots will be visible already at the beginning of the third week after planting the seeds. Seedling care requires special attention. First, you should always monitor the moisture content of the topsoil. Also, do not forget about sufficient sacredness. In addition, seedlings need hardening. Hardening should be done in the fresh air, for example, on a terrace or balcony. The temperature during hardening should not be lower than 15 degrees, otherwise the seedlings will die. When the height of the sprouts has reached 20 cm, then they can be planted on the site.

If you already have an adult flower, then it can be used as material for new samples. Reproduction in this way is done before summer or after summer.

First, you need to dig up the existing plant. After that, you need to divide the roots into several parts. If you do not see the rhizome well, then you need to wash it, and the problem will be solved. In order for all parts of the old plant to take root and become full-fledged new bushes, you need to have at least 2 shoots on each part. The shoots must be already mature.

Choose a location for the new bushes. Place part of the old bush to a depth of about 10 cm, fertilize with humus. And the last step: tamp the ground with your hands and water. The first watering should be abundant. It is important to remember that if you propagated rudbeckia in this way, then it will bloom in the next season.

Combining Golden Balls with other types of plants

As we have already found out, rudbeckia are perennial plants. The planted rudbeckia will please the eye for a single year, therefore, it is necessary to plant rudbeckia where you do not renew the plants annually.Rudbeckia is a very beautiful flower, it is well suited for planting next to fences or walls of the house. Also rudbeckia will look beautiful next to gazebos and recreation areas, harmoniously combined with tall plants.

If you plant it on your site, where it is windy enough, then it is worth fixing the stems of tall varieties.
Rudbeckia emphasize all their beauty in combination with bouquet flowers, adding a certain charm to them. After cutting, rudbeckia flowers will delight for a week or more. Rudbeckia is an excellent option for those who are just starting to try themselves in gardening or simply do not want to spend a lot of effort on caring for plants, but at the same time want to have a beautiful bright area.

Golden balls bloom for a long time, and it is extremely easy to grow them, so it is not surprising that this flower is so popular among gardeners.

Golden balloons flowers photo