Rudbeckia hirta Cherry Brandy flower seeds
With flowers of the deepest red with dark chocolatey centers, this lovely variety is a very interesting-looking and long flowering plant to add to the garden. Her beautiful dark flowers are fantastic and long-lasting cut flowers to use in late summer arrangements. Flowers can be up to 12 centimeters in diameter! These heat-loving plants require very little care but have to be watered regularly. Deadhead the spent flowers to support new flower growth.

Planting information to grow Rudbeckia hirta Cherry Brandy from seed:
Plant type: half-hardy annual
Height: 60 centimeters
Position: full sun or partial shade
Start: 8-10 weeks before the last frost date
Number of days until plants bloom: 100-120 days
Distance between the plants: 30-40 centimeters
Germination: 10-15 days, 18 to 20°C
Pinching: not recommended
Number of seeds per pack: 50

How to grow Rudbeckia hirta Cherry Brandy from seed
Sow your rudbeckia seed in late winter to late spring. Rudbeckia hirta Cherry Brandy is a short-lived perennial or biennial but often grown as a half-hardy annual. The seeds are germinating the easiest in a more warm environment, for example indoors or in a greenhouse on a heat mat if the weather is still cold. If germination does not occur you can gold stratify the seeds at around 4°C for 4 weeks in the fridge or outdoors in February or March. Then bring the seeds into the warmth again and seedlings should emerge within a few days. Pot on to larger pots and plant out after the danger of frost has passed.
Seeds can also be sown directly where they are to flower, two weeks before the last expected frost until mid-May, but to give them a head start, sow indoors from mid-February to April. The seeds need light to germinate, don’t cover the seeds with soil.

Rudbeckias are excellent cut flowers, with flower preservatives they will last up to 10 days if picked when flowers are about to open. You might have to change the water frequently.