Rudbeckia hirta Chim Chiminee

The Rudbeckia x hirta from the 'Chim Chiminee mix stands out for the unusual appearance of its large flowers, which are single or sometimes double daisies with narrow and fringed petals. A sleek line enhanced by warm colours that are easy on the eyes: banana yellow, golden yellow, copper orange, muted red, bronze, and mahogany. The spectacle of this flowering lasts all summer, until the first frost, on sturdy plants that will make a big impression in borders, beds, and flower pots. Indifferent to heat and poor soils, these short-lived perennial plants also thrive in sunny or semi-shaded positions.

The Rudbeckia x hirta from the 'Chim Chiminee' selection are recent cultivars resulting, among others, from the Rudbeckia hirta, a robust wild plant from the Asteraceae family native to the prairies of North America. It is a short-lived perennial plant often grown as an annual or biennial plant. Indeed, in the garden, it will not last more than 2 to 3 years, but it readily self-seeds. The 'Chim Chiminee' variety, shorter than its ancestor, reaches a height of 45 to 60 cm (18 to 24in) depending on the plants and spreads about 40 cm (16in).
The inflorescences of this Rudbeckia are large 'daisies', actually solitary head-like inflorescences, with a diameter of 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4in), centred on a prominent dark brown cone. Many flowers succeed each other from July to October on the plants, forming an impressive multicoloured mass. At the end of summer, the petals fade and fall while the flowers' centre dries and shrivels. The flowers can then be picked and incorporated into a dried bouquet. The foliage consists of a tuft of basal lanceolate, dentate leaves, dark green, 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4in) long, from which sturdy and branched floral stems rise. The stems bear cauline leaves, narrower and somewhat ovate.

The Rudbeckia 'Chim Chiminee' stout silhouette allows them to fit into perennial beds, borders, and large flower pots. They can be paired with other varieties or combined with inulas, asters, yarrows, daisies, echinops... You can also lighten the scene by mixing ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia and Muhlenbergia capillaris... Their rich colours are gorgeous in beds and fresh or dried flower arrangements. Hardy, Rudbeckia hirta thrives in sunny or semi-shaded positions and doesn't mind the soil; it is a particularly heat-resistant plant that tolerates dry and poor soils.

An ecological asset: Throughout summer, the nectar-rich flowers of Rudbeckias attract pollinating insects and butterflies. An excellent way to improve your garden's ecosystem and promote fruit and vegetable production in your vegetable patch. In autumn, you can admire the continuous ballet of birds that come to feed on the mature seeds they find in the heart of the dried flowers.