cutleaf coneflower

The Cutleaf Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata 'Hortensia') can tolerate a little bit of drought, but it will thrive when it is given a regular water schedule. Water the plant once a week or every other week to ensure it gets enough moisture, and always water until the soil is moist about 3 inches below the surface and until water begins to come out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the container. Don't let the soil dry out between waterings and let the top inch of soil dry out between waterings to ensure the roots are not in standing water. In periods of intense heat or drought, you may need to water every other day or even daily. With regular water, the plant will stay blooming and producing healthy foliage all season long.

Cuttleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata 'Hortensia') prefers full sun, which means that it should receive at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day. This can be greater depending on where you live as the plant grows better in hot and dry climates that have longer periods of sunlight. Ideally, cuttleaf coneflower should receive the sun during the mid-day when the light is the most intense. This would be between the hours of 11am to 4pm, or in the hours when the sun is highest in the sky. The hours of the day can vary depending on the season and the geographic location, as the angle of the sun will shift with the changing of the different timezones and seasons. When planting the cuttleaf coneflower, make sure to put it in an area of your yard that gets direct sunlight for the majority of the day in order to give it the most optimal growing conditions.

Cut-Leaf Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata 'Hortensia') should be pruned twice a year to ensure healthy, vibrant foliage. Pruning in late winter or early spring encourages new growth and encourages lateral stems which help form a full, bushy shape. Prune off any diseased, damaged or weak stems just above a healthy set of leaves. Pruning in the summer should also be done. Remove any dead or yellowing leaves, and prune back to a shorter height (no more than a third of the whole shrub). Leaving 2 or 3 sets of healthy leaves on each stem will encourage branching and create a fuller shrub. Additionally, any spent flower heads should be removed to prevent the plant from self-seeding. Cut-Leaf Coneflower is a fairly tolerant shrub that can handle a heavier pruning if desired.