I have grown this in the past but for the life of me, I have no clue how I went about it. I imagine I did what I always do...which is haphazardly sow a bunch of seeds in the used potting mix (from the tomatoes), sometime in October, then largely forget about it...which is probably why I ended up with a mere 3 seedlings. I popped these in a (negligent) customers garden (in June, - the worst timing ever) where they invariably languished due to an utter lack of even the tiniest amount of irrigation.

Haven't bothered since because just about anything with rudbeckia (or helio) in the name seems to hate my crappy soil, arid climate and failed attempts at consistent watering.

Soz, Porks, this is not what you needed to know but hey ho.

porkchop -- Triloba somehow arrived many years ago all on it's own here for me, and I adore it. IMO it is one of the easiest things, as it self-sows with ease and I always have it somewhere. Of course, it does that without any planning as to where it will occur! I have always tossed the ripe seed heads in autumn in various areas of the property and I don't care where.

That said, since I never bothered to grow this the way you are attempting to do, I have a very "black thumb" whenever I try to start anything from seed (indoors according to any seed packet directions) and always fail miserably. It is so frustrating. I must let someone else grow my plants from seed, which is definitely more expensive, but it is what it is...

Anyway, as to triloba, I would take some seed from your packet and just scatter it directly without fuss in areas where you want it outside and let it do whatever it wants to do. Sort of like covering all bases and as a control to sowing indoors. This method does not cover the seeds at all, yet plants do manage to grow for me. You may find it works better, tho I can't promise!

Good luck -- this is such a sweet plant, with its small pretty faces and tall "airy" form. Much more charming that other varieties of rudbeckia IMO, plays well with others (tho the intense color is sometimes difficult to incorporate in the overall scheme) and works nicely in my cottage-style gardens here in Massachusetts (zone 6). I wouldn't be without it.

^^ I have plenty of seed left, if they don't germinate under the lights I will toss the remaining seed back in pasture here and there and see what happens.

porkchop -- Ahhh, pasture? I guess that's possible -- but I picture a pasture as being quite loaded with competing plants. But what do I know about pastures, lol.

When I broadcast triloba seedheads from mine, this is done throughout actual garden beds which are no longer mulched (I'm lazy), so while the soil certainly can have plenty of weed growth, there is not high grass competition.

Maybe try sowing the seeds near the edges of your pasture? Since I envision pastures as being sunny, that's a good location. And if that is successful, be sure to save your mature seeds for the following year and repeat!! I'd love to hear how it goes for you. =)

Recomendations for germinating R. triloba indoors vary, from no stratification to cold stratification for up to several months (!). I've had seed germinate with no pre-treatment; other times nothing came up, even after 1 month-plus of cold stratification. Experimenting with no and 1-2 month cold stratification again this spring.

I am trying this myself. I fall-sowed some outdoors in a few areas where I had added a bit of topsoil — just pressed in gently, no cover; I put some in pots that were left out all winter - still chilly here, nothing coming up; and then because I got a grow light for some tomato seeds. I’ve put some seeds in fridge a few weeks ago, to leave for 6-8 weeks and then try babying them in indoor pots to see if germinate.

Will see in next month or 2 if anything sprouting from the outdoor sowing. I really had hoped the pots would work, as I have a few areas where in winter, leaf fall will cover, hence the area doesn’t get consistent light exposure for seeds that need light to germinate, but sturdy transplants can establish & later push through light layer of leaves.

Rudbeckia triloba is biennial, so there's a possibilty the seeds might wait to late summer to germinate. Once you have flowering plants they should self seed every year.

They were beginning to invade my lawn at one point, so they laugh off the competition that hinders the germination of many other plants. Im trying Henry Eilers Rudbeckia submentosa this year. Henry just passed a couple months ago which makes growing his discovery more meaningful. Good luck with your Brown Eyed Susies!

I’m psyched! Will try planting mine after another couple of weeks of cold storage.