If you thought Echinacea (commonly called coneflower) only came in pale purple flowers...NOT SO! The world of coneflowers offers a kaleidoscope of flower colors, sizes and shapes.
The blooms can be fiery orange, brilliant red, purple, hot pink, cantaloupe, pale yellow, white or multi-colored like ‘Green Twister’ (lime green and magenta pink centers). The flowers can also be double-petaled with "crested tops" such as ‘Hot Papaya’ or have slightly upturned, narrow petals like ‘Rocky Top’. Even the stems can add striking color; ‘Fatal Attraction’ offers purple-black stems. Plant heights range from short varieties like ‘Pow Wow White’ (only 16-20”) to ‘Magnus’ (36-40”).
Coneflowers do best in full sun (six or more hours of direct sun) and are ideally situated with mostly afternoon sunlight. Give them well-drained soil (they dislike wet feet) and don’t overfeed them - they’ll get leggy. One spring application of a slow-release, organic fertilizer like Plant-tone is all they need. Coneflowers benefit from deadheading, although some like ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ have bloomed non-stop in my Kennebunk garden without any help from me!
As an added bonus, pollinators like butterflies and bees adore coneflowers. Don’t cut them back in the fall; simply leave the seed heads for hungry birds to enjoy!
We have a fantastic selection of coneflowers right now at Estabrook's. Best of all, they're all available at
20% OFF
during
August Bargain Days
!
