Don't know the bug, but mine are doing the same thing. They've gone all streaky and ugly. I'm collecting seed, then pulling them out. Hopefully the next batch from these seeds will be something nicer.

My other two plants were streaky and ugly like that but turned red after they'd been open awhile, not as pretty as some others people posted photos of. I'm keeping them for now.

As to the orange, I almost like it a little better but it doesn't work real well where it is. I don't know if I'll collect any seeds from any of mine or not. Ruds do bloom, as least my Prairie Sun, almost all summer which is a plus.

I have a spare crazy daisy, maybe I'll stick it somewhere near the orange one, might round out the look plus I'll have Raspberry Wine Monarda close by.

Are those from saved seeds? None of the photos of Cherry Brandy Rudbeckia have double petals like that. My plants are not doubled petaled either. Those are probably another plant?

aliska12000, I love the orange color! I wish I had bought some of those seeds! I am hoping in the winter sowers seed swap someone offers them up for trade. I like the brown/orange colors. they are different and I like different :)

one question, did they bloom from the first year of sowing them? I might try buying some from TM if they do.

As for the bug, he does not look to dangerous but who knows. I tried the site http://www.whatsthatbug.com/ but did not see him yet.

Hope you find answers.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.whatsthatbug.com/

I got mine in a batch of 3 from Bluestone labelled Cherry Brandy (it's usual for them to sell many in lots of 3) when they had their sale in May. The other two are more like everybody posted of theirs coming out, I posted a photo of one of those on the other thread here (there was a thread about them on the Perennials forum as well and two separate ones on CB on this, the WS forum) of the first one of my three that bloomed. I'll take a look at the other of the three which is more red because I thought it might be just a tad bit different, too, possibly semi double that one.

This burnt orange one is truly double, and I like it but it's a fluke for sure. Guess I'll have to save the seeds and be ready to share if somebody will tell me how to do it for Rudbeckia, think it is still a Rud.

It should come back next year, so I'm not too worried about saving seeds for myself, maybe I should a few just in case. Wish I knew what happened here.

I see I ordered it May 21 when Bluestone had their sale. Here's the summary of the order. Maybe the one that hasn't bloomed yet is the supposed purple pantaloons but the foliage looks different. The cherry pantaloons ones are cute but don't amount to a whole lot, may be more showy next year. I'm confused now with what went where, but the bottom line is that this orange is most likely some kind of Rud, don't see how it can be any of those others.

Oh, and thanks for the links on bugs, will check it out later. I was doing Japanese Beetles and didn't want to hurt it because it didn't seem to be doing any harm and just the one.

The violas were a wash, don't recommend them, better to start from seed.

1 BRJFP BRUNNERA Jack Frost [one plant] SPRING 2009 $7.97 $7.97
Half Price
Special

1 PHCSS PHLOX subulata Candystripe [don't know what the heck I did with the third one] SPRING 2009 $7.47 $7.47
Half Price
Special

1 RUCBS RUDBECKIA hirta Cherry Brandy SPRING 2009 $8.47 $8.47 [pretty sure there were three in the pack]
Half Price
Special

1 CACBS CAMPANULA punctata Cherry SPRING 2009 $7.97 $7.97
Bells [have only two of those out there, don't know what happened to the third if there was one] Half Price
Special

1 CAPTP CAMPANULA punctata Pantaloons [just one of those is out there or whatever it turns out to be] SPRING 2009 $4.97 $4.97
Half Price
Special

1 VICHS VIOLA Chantreyland SPRING 2009 $6.47 $6.47
Half Price
Special

1 VIBPS VIOLA cornuta Blue Perfection SPRING 2009 $6.47 $6.47
Half Price
Special

Went to Bluestone and looked at the Ruds, most likely the one at link, says they're different colors, although one pictured is more gold.

You can look at the rest of their Rudbeckias, this one looks the closest as to description and form.

I didn't winter sow this past winter so know whatever the burnt orange is ordered in May this year and bloomed as in my photo.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rudbeckia Cherokee Sunset at Bluestone

definately save some seeds for yourself. those are neat looking plants.

Your bug is a moth; Atteva punctella, Ailianthus webworm moth. The larvae feed on Tree of Heaven leaves ( a pest tree) and do little damage to other plants. The adult form, shown in your pic, is a beneficial pollinator so your Rudbeckia should have good seed set.

Here is a link that might be useful: Atteva punctella, Ailianthus webworm moth

Thanks, susanc, for saving me going through tons of images, so there are wings neatly tucked in there, should have thought of that, would never have thought of a moth. It wasn't out there this morning. I don't see too many insects on the Ruds, maybe some smaller bee types until this moth.

I have seen several red ladybugs on some roses I took the buds and blooms off including a pair mating. That is a good sign because I'm having trouble with something like aphids only brown and don't know if they are bugs or eggs. Picked and hosed some off, also sprayed with soapy water. I hope the ladybugs stick around, hadn't seen any for years until just one last year. Kind of an uplift to see some again, maybe gradually get things back in balance again. So much looks ratty at this point.

I'll save the seeds because the plants are probably "short-lived" perennials. I saw one that has self seeded of my Prairie Sun recently.

Happy to have helped, Aliska. I haven't noticed many lady bugs the past couple of years here either. We used to get lots in the garden, and they really did help keep the aphids down. -At least there seem to be a lot more bees around than there were last year.

Aliska: I think your cherry brandy are pretty. Mine look like that when they're fading, when the blossom is ready to die. But befor that, they're burgundy-red. None of mine are doubles, though.
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Karen

I think they look a bit like Cherokee Sunset too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rudbeckia hirta Cherokee Sunset

Karen, you are the one who had some of the prettiest ones. My red ones are darker once they grew out of the yucky streak phase. I'm paying closer attention, and the plant that has been blooming the longest now the petals are hanging like ecninaceas! My sister was here briefly, doesn't like Rudbeckias in general but liked my Prairie Sun and the Cherry Brandy. It's kind of fun to be on the cutting edge of new plant introductions and sharing about them. I try not to get my hopes to high about any of it but am always glad when something turns out nice.

I think the way plants are hybridized is one of the most interesting subjects imaginable.

susanc, wish our honeybees would come back. That's good you are seeing some. I don't know what's with the ladybugs, the orange ones seemed to have taken over for awhile, a problem in the fall, got in houses, now haven't had that fall swarming of those in several years now. Wonder what their predators are or how their numbers rise and decline. I've seen a couple orange lb's out there, but more of the red ones, not enough of either for sure. The real thrill despite how ratty some of my plants look is that since I have taken up gardening again and tried to attract birds, I've seen the following in my yard which I hadn't seen since I was a kid: goldfinch (fleeting), hummingbird (just one), hummingbird moth (just one), tiger swallowtail butterfly, one last year and this. So that's hopeful, and I hope to see more of those.

evonnestoryteller, I think they are Cherokee Sun, too, don't know how they got in with the Cherry Brandy. I'm glad I don't have to be a seed collector, counter and packager for a living lol. I'm not upset in the least about it. Compared to winter sowing, buying perennials is "cheating" lol. More satisfying when you start your own from seed, but I've been generally pleased with what I've gotten from Bluestone & elsewhere on the web. I'm so far behind on plants compared to what used to be available to us, and sometimes see ones that I don't want to have to wait and try to start from seed. But seeds are much cheaper so I can't buy too many live plants and can't always find what I want anyway other than finding the seeds.

I have Cherokee Sunset, and if your picture is accurate, I don't think that is what it is. I believe it is a variation on Cherry Brandy. One of mine is two-toned, and very pale, kind of pinkish in places. The Cherokee Sunset that I have is beautiful, but it is a rust color. Here are the pictures of mine, the first is the pale Cherry Brandy and the second is Cherokee Sunset:

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Becky

Cherry Brandy. It's just out right ugly to me.

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These were grown from seed collected from R. hirta, Autumn colors. At first I was put off by the brown flowers, but how can you not love the size and variety of these things? There will be seed collected from all of them.

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These are huge. The blooms are nearly 6" across. They're really more brown than orange. The camera lies. Next year I will start them later and use them for fall color mixed with oranges and reds.

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That last one is on a plant I moved a few weeks ago. Carrie was wondering how it would do in our heat being yanked from the ground and replanted. I did lose one or two blooms, but overall, it's doing well now.

I like the Cherokee Sunset Becky where did you get the seeds from?

I also like the Autumn Colors Token. I think I have seen seeds for those somewhere. That would be some nice fall color.

I just have fallen in love with Ruds this year. they are new to me and I like them a lot...
Karen

My Cherokee Sunset seeds were from a trade a couple of years ago. Last year I had several different ones, but for some reason the only two I have this year are twins, LOL. These are taller than Cherry Brandy. I really like them and have already collected seed, so I will have lots of seed to share. I am also going to collect from the Cherry Brandies. I have a lot of rudbeckias so who knows what I will get next year, with them all crossing. I bought both Cappuccino and Chocolate Orange, but I can't tell which ones they are - sad, I know.

Becky

ramazz, I'm not sure what it is, sure doesn't look like your Cherokee Sunset which is gorgeous BTW.

token, maybe you could trade for better seeds of CB as yours isn't what I would want, and mine isn't as nice as Karen's. Your other ones are really nice, and I love that one in your third photo.

Mine look pretty much the same today, there is a slight pink look to some of the petals, but it is predominately orange. I guess it doesn't matter if I don't know exactly what it is or isn't. It will probably kick in blooming earlier next year if it comes back, and everything is looking pretty spent at this point.

As soon as the beetles are gone, think we're winding down, I'm going to let my roses bloom again to get a little more color going until the asters kick in for fall. Still have more planting to do.

Aliska, I think I'll just collect my seeds and plant them next year. I'm curious, with all the other ruds I have, if they will change much. The Autumn Colors stayed pretty true, at least in terms of color, but not striping. I did get a little more yellow varieties than the parent plant. They have red centers. A true red.

token, go for it. I didn't notice the red centers, love them! I don't know much about rudbeckias, but PS really spreads out a lot but oh, I planted them HOS. That could make a difference.

I think mine would look nice in a mass planting so maybe I will save the seeds plus if would be fun to see if I get something novel out of them. I like the fact that they bloom so much longer than most of my other perennials.

Anybody need any coreopsis lol? I'm overrun with the things and am marking the double ones to collect the seed later and will dig the rest out.

This doesn't show all of them, but I planted mine in groups of threes. I got doubles, red centers, some with brown centers, some with huge eyes, and some from Autumn colors with all brown blooms. I'm looking forward to a new bed I'm creating this fall. It'll be all rudbeckias and coneflowers, maybe some shastas. Probably a hibiscus, some bee balm, LOL. It's just going to be another version of my other beds. I really like the daisy like blooms best.

Taken just now, just happened to notice how they've changed, and I need to change to my regular lens because this is the wide angle and seems to expose a little darker. I just cropped and used a little unsharp mask, no other tinkering.

Still, none of them look exactly like what others have posted.

This first one is the whole plant (a little fell over when it rained):

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Here's a newly-opened one, photo shows it more orange again but eyeballing it, I thought it was more like that yucky yellow brownish streaks, but also notice how much more double that one on the left is. I'm going to mark that one. Also will try to post a photo after it's matured for a week or two to see what it does.

One thing about these plants is that with rain, some have toppled, but early the Jap beetles were on Prairie Sun, but these don't seem to be much bothered by them or other pests, IOW easy to care for, just enjoy.

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Finally, I think one of this group is the same one I originally posted, no sign of the moth since:

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That last picture looks just like mine, only mine are more faded. I hate them. Nothing like what I was expecting. Saving seed though. You never know what you might get.

I'm not crazy about them, but things are pretty pathetic around here right now, so it's nice to have a little splash of color until the asters bloom and I get a (hopefully) fall flush of roses after the *@#$%$ beetles are gone. Most everything else is done for this year.

Actually I don't know if I want any more of these or not ;-). But I'll keep the 3 I have for now. Maybe these are only good for a couple years unless you keep starting them and/or self sowing, won't know for awhile.

I wonder what everyones' seed source is. Many of the photos are flowers with double petals. Cherry Brandy is supposed to be a single petaled flower.

Good question. T&M introduced them, but I don't know the trade. There had been trials so oh heck I'll just make up a huge conspiracy about those things lol.

I don't even know if Bluestone starts from seeds or buys seedlings from a wholesaler who buys seeds from ???

There is a new photo on the other CB thread which I like the best of all for this color (& obvious variations, all sold or traded as CB). But kqcrna's look the closest to the promo photo in T&M catalog, website and used by Bluestone imo. There are others on this thread I like a lot as well although not CB. BS's new catalog arrived yesterday, and they're still using the same photo.

Whatever is going on is interesting, and I don't think the cross is very stable. Maybe Ruds are like that. Somebody around here has double Prairie Suns which are striking.

I don't know if you are referring to my plant as the double Prairie Sun, but I am patiently waiting for the flowers to dry up and go to seed, LOL. It is rather odd, really, to look at a lovely plant and then get excited when the flowers dry up and get ugly.

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Becky

Mine, this morning. No flash, ugly.

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The true color of the center is like dried blood. The outside edges have faded to a streaky orange color. Not attractive at all. Certainly not even close to what was advertised. All three plants that came up and bloomed are the exact same color. I have rich soil, which the growth habit of all my other plants proves.

ramazz, no it wasn't yours but that one is sure pretty, very unusual. It was a photo by the side of a house with two large patches of PS and some other flower. They weren't exactly like my photo either as to double. Kind of a double decker effect except the top part was the same size as the bottom. That's how I remember it anyway, and often my memory plays tricks on me. If I can find that thread again, I'll link to it, too far back now.

token, one person's trash is another's treasure. I know photos can only show us so much, but I find yours rather interesting, not that I'd run right out and grow it. Expecting something different may skew your perception of it, but I'd let it grow another year and see what it is like. I think it's kind of pretty actually, certainly different. Nice assortment of flowers and plants in your photo.

But if you have your heart set on a nice cherry brandy, I'd hope to get some seeds from posters who have the prettiest ones or just try something else. But before you shovel prune it, maybe somebody on freecycle would want it or gasp, somebody here might want some seeds from it. Or a plant hybridizer.

Look at what you've got, something truly unique even though not to your liking. If it were crossed with other ones, it could lead to some stunning new Rudbeckia. A grower might even be interested in it. I don't know if white has even shown up in Rudbeckias before or not, and the potential for crosses, good bad and ugly are endless.

ramazz, it was kqcrna with the double Prairie Sun flowers I thought so pretty but wasn't too impressed until I'd thought about what Karen had there.

Advanced google is my friend, could not find it using the GW search engine or didn't hit the right keywords.

Anyway, I'll link to it, and my memory only served me partly correct. Some are single, and some are double but not so much "decker" like I thought I remembered. I wish mine would double like some of hers as they're more interesting.

Here is a link that might be useful: July 8 photos, kqcrna, first photo at top of thread

I think many of the open pollinated rudbeckias end up with variations that are nicer than the original. I had one Prairie Sun last year that I thought was gorgeous, but none of the seedlings came out exactly the same - some are double, some are single, some have pointier petals and some have rounder ones. It is really just luck, based upon which random seeds come up. Some of my plants are double with green eyes, but are a bit droopier than the original.

Becky

Aliska, I have no plans to remove them. I'll collect seed cause I have lots of rudbeckias and I'm sure they've all cross pollinated. My problem is that they aren't as advertised.

My problem is that they aren't as advertised.

I think that's what it boils down to for most of us with CB. Lots of things I grow I might not say are not as advertised (except true blues are often more purple) end up being a huge disappointment for one reason or another.

I surfed up the seeds on Ebay to see what was on there and there were two kinds of photos. One of them were just like the T&M photos and the other ones were red flowers with notched double flower petals. They did not look the same at all.