Looking to grow some of your own rudbeckias or maybe purchase one or two plants and wondering if Is Rudbeckia A Perennial? Well wonder no longer, I have the answer for you down below.
Is Rudbeckia A Perennial?
There is both annual and perennial rudbeckia. The classic yellow-colored rudbeckia is often a perennial, but different-colored rudbeckia is often an annual or a half-hardy perennial
As a general rule of thumb, the traditional yellow and black Rudbeckia tend to be perennials whereas the different colored Rudbeckia like oranges and purples tend to be annuals.
This isn’t a set rule and I am sure there are exceptions to it like most things gardening, but for the most part, it does hold true.
Most rudbeckias are herbaceous perennials, which means they will die back over winter before regrowing the following spring. There is nothing of the plant left over winter and if you didn’t know better you would think it had died off, but worry not, it will be back next year.
Hardy or Not Hardy?
There is also the question of whether the rudbeckia variety you are growing is hardy or not. There are some rudbeckia that are fully hardy and can survive a bitterly cold winter before bouncing back, but there are others that are not even half-hardy and stand no chance outside in all but the warmest of zones.
There is rudbeckia that can be grown from zone 3 all the way through to 9. Most rudbeckia will be absolutely fine in zones 5-8, they are a resilient plant that can also be drought tolerant.
The non-hardy varieties tend to be grown as annuals in a lot of the country even though they may technically be perennial plants. This is simply because they are easy to grow from seed but tough to keep alive over winter.
They also create “volunteers” very easily meaning you can plant them once and have new seedlings come up year after year with no work from you!
Because of this it just makes more sense to grow fresh plants from seed every year rather than trying to keep a plant alive over winter.
There are a lot of Rudbeckia that are fully hardy and popular varieties such as Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ are fully hardy. Just make sure you check either the label or description before buying!
More On Rudbeckia
Rudbeckia is a member of the Asteraceae family, which is a huge family of plants by the way, along with asters, calendula, and daisies.
Rudbeckia is a very popular species of plant, they look gorgeous and are easy to grow, two factors that will always lead to popularity.
Most Rudbeckia are hardy perennials when grown in zones 5-8 but there are a couple of types that are only grown as annuals in all but the hottest zones.
In general, it is the yellow Rudbeckia that is perennial with most other colorways being annual plants.
What Conditions Do Rudbeckia Like?
Rudbeckia like a sunny spot and well-draining soil. They don’t like their roots drying out though so need to be watered during dry spells. They really don’t like their roots being in standing water either though which is why well-draining soil is a must.
Although they like a sunny spot they can also survive in partial shade but with reduced flowering.