Black-Eyed Susan, the country Cinderella of the fields, has exchanged her rough and rustic gown for raiments gay enough for a Spanish fiesta.
The lowly daisy of the meadows, with yellow petals and a dusky center, has taken on a bold, striking, and wide-awake look to become the gloriosa daisy of today— and all because she went to college!
Or so claimed the originator, the late Dr. Albert F. Blakeslee, a noted scientist who carried out extensive experiments while associated with Smith College.
Possibilities of Native Black-Eyed Susan
More than 40 years ago, Dr. Blakeslee became interested in the possibilities of the native black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and began collecting plants from different localities, then selecting the most promising to grow on for further study.
He began hybridizing to increase the flower size, vigor, and color range. Then after selecting and deselecting for many years, the best were treated with colchicine to produce tetraploid flowers of maximum size.
When these had been re-selected, the new flower was ready—the gloriosa daisy.
Field Daisy New Form
This new form of the old field daisy is vigorous, rugged, and easy to grow. Though a perennial, it has been listed among the annuals since, if planted early, it flowers from seed the first year.
The flowers are large, from 5″ to 6″ inches across, with broad petals, well-defined center markings, and exceptionally bright colors. The colors might seem a little gaudy in anything other than a flower.
In the gloriosa strain are bright golden yellows and rich mahogany to vie with bi-colors of bronze-gold, orange-gold, and mahogany-bronze. The colors and combinations are varied and contrast agreeably with velvety, dusky centers.
While the majority of the blooms are single, there will be found both semi-singles and doubles among them.
These daisies will flower through summer and until frost if spent blooms are removed. Plants grow upright and to 3’ feet.
Gloriosa Daisies
Gloriosa daisies are ideal subjects for landscaping and are remarkably well suited to low, informal lines of the modern ranch-type home and cottage.
They also harmonize with textures and colors of a variety of building materials, notably those of rustic feeling—brown shingles, redwood, stucco, and fieldstone.
Gloriosas are most useful in beds, borders, as low screens, to soften ugly lines or foundations, and in planters of concrete, stone, and muted shades of brick.
Gloriosas are most useful around summer camps since they require little care and will bloom through trying weather.
They are best used in bold masses where the gay red-gold coloring and varied patterns are most effective.
Gloriosa daisies should prove valuable for quick—and unusually inexpensive—effects around new homes.
Perennial Rudbeckia
The perennial rudbeckia, better known by the common name coneflower, also has been glorified even without the benefit of its country cousin’s college education.
Nurserymen and hybridists became interested in bringing the perennials up to date.
They have been so improved that they are now fit to grace the finest garden and please the most exacting taste.
The old rudbeckias were too tall, and the stems too spindly to withstand wind and rain. Rudbeckia purpurea gave the whole clan a bad name because of its drooping, dejected-looking petals and the unattractive purplish color, which faded to an off shade of red.
The King
The first of these modern hybrid perennial coneflowers, The King, had daisy-like flowers of rosy red, maroon toward the center, the petals broad and straight to the tips, and the cone prominent and dark. Even the orange-brown seed pod was decorative.
Vigorous plants produce up to 15 or 18 flowering stems on established clumps. The King was immediately accepted as an unusually fine garden subject and is widely used by landscape architects.
White King
White King was then introduced as the first known white form. While perhaps a shade less rugged than its predecessor, it had the charm of white petals against a metallic green-bronze center cone with tiny orange flecks
More recent newcomers include. Earliest of All, with rosy pink petals with deeper shading toward a dark center cone. This new variety is a firm, stiff plant that requires no staking and which grows only two and a half feet tall.
Goldsturm
Goldsturm, developed in Europe, has greenish-gold flowers with a bronze-black cone. A new dwarf variety has been named Gold Quelle and is said to be an improved double form in clear yellow.
High praise has been given to a recent Dutch import, Gold Drop, which is low and sturdy with large double flowers of golden yellow. Then there is the Golden Globe with perfect, globe-shaped flowers and miniature foliage.
Image/s (Page 10)
Rudbeckias shown on this page are Gloriosa Daisy, bottom, White King, center, and The King, top. The cover is of wild species R. hirta.
44659 by Mary C. Seckma