University of Vermont Extension
Department of Plant and Soil Science
Summer News
Article
CONEFLOWERS HAVE
CHANGED
Dr.
Leonard Perry, Extension Professor
University of Vermont
Coneflowers
(Echinacea) shouldn’t be called purple coneflowers anymore, as there are
many new cultivars (cultivated varieties) with various flower colors and
shapes. This genus of perennials, native
to the central and eastern U.S.,
has been one of the most popular in recent years. Many of the new hybrids are the result of
crosses of several species including purple (purpurea), yellow (paradoxa),
and Tennessee
(tennesseensis) coneflowers.
Like
the purple traditional coneflower, all are quite hardy to USDA zone 4 (-20 to
-30 degrees F), and many to even colder sites.
They are also fairly maintenance free, with few pests and diseases, and
are generally deer resistant. Under
ideal conditions in some areas coneflowers may seed around the garden,
producing new unknown hybrids.
Coneflowers, once established, are drought
tolerant. They do prefer well-drained
soil, and full sun for best bloom. Flowers
in mid summer are very attractive to butterflies, the seedheads in fall are
attractive to migrating birds. Many also
are fragrant.
Unlike
the purple traditional coneflower, many of these new hybrids have flower petals
that are held horizontal, not drooping down (reflexed). Often their stems are erect and strong, so
don’t need staking as do some older cultivars and species. Most are similar in height, about three feet
tall more or less, while the lower ones are about half that height.
White was one of the first changes in coneflowers some
years ago, with cultivars such as
‘White Swan’ and ‘White Star’, the former being more
popular and still readily found. Then
came ‘Kim’s Mop Head’, a shorter selection just 12 to
15 inches tall. It was selected by
nurseryman Pierre Bennerup in Connecticut, and
named for Kim Hawkes of Niche Gardens in North Carolina who introduced
the short purple ‘Kim’s Knee
High’ (of which ‘Kim’s Mop Head’ is a
sport).
A recent white introduction with large flowers is ‘Fragrant
Angel’. ‘Primadonna White’ is a recent
introduction,
with larger flowers than ‘White Swan’ that last longer as
well.
Several
new purple to pinkish coneflowers have been introduced including the
‘Kim’s Knee High’
just mentioned; ‘Bright Star’ with large, rose-pink
drooping petals; ‘Indiaca’ with single pink drooping
petals
the first year and some “double deckers” or
“mopheads” the second, on low
plants; ‘Double Decker’ (‘Doppelganger’) with
smaller petals arising out of the
top of the central cone; ‘Magnus’ with large, less dropping
rose-pink flowers;
the older ‘Rubinstern’ with carmine-red less drooping large
flowers; the recent
‘Little Giant’ with large, rose pink flowers on dwarf
plants; and the recent
‘Primadonna Rose’ with double flowers.
‘Razzmatazz’ from Europe,
forming rose-pink pom pom flowers, has been around a few years now.
Similar and new, from Holland, is ‘Pink Double Delight’. ‘Fatal
Attraction’ is from the famous Dutch
nurseryman and designer Piet Oudolf, and has intense pink flowers on
black
stems. New from England is
‘Elton Knight’ with large purple flowers and strong bushy habit.
One
of the first of the new flower colors was introduced from the Chicago
Botanic
Gardens. It has dark orange flowers as
its name Orange Meadowbrite (sometimes seen as ‘Art’s
Pride’) indicates. ‘Mango Meadowbrite’, with
orange-mustard
color flowers, was then released by the same breeder, Dr. Jim
Alt. The third introduction from this program was
‘Pixie Meadowbrite’ with flat, pinkish flowers that rebloom
on dwarf plants.
‘Paranoia’ has light yellow petals that droop down
from a dark central cone. Being sterile,
they don’t produce seeds for birds or to seed around the garden. It was introduced by North
Carolina nurseryman Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery,
although the seeds originally came
from crosses by Richard Saul of Itsaul Plants in Georgia.
This
latter nurseryman is responsible for many of the new colors of coneflowers, and
some of the most popular, often seen as the Big Sky series. Sundown (‘Evan Saul’) is bright orange with
many flowers, Sunrise is only about two feet tall with buttery yellow flowers,
Sunset has bright orange flowers with a lavender cast as they age, ‘Twilight’
is rose with a red cone, Harvest Moon (‘Matthew Saul’) has peach-orange flowers
and an orange central cone, and Summer Sky (‘Katie Saul’) is one of the newer
introductions with dark stems topped with peach flowers cherry red towards the
center.
If
these aren’t enough, consider those such as ‘Prairie Frost’ and ‘Sparkler’ with
variegated leaves and purple flowers.
Look
at your local complete garden center or perennial nursery for some of these new
introductions, or shop online or through mail order catalogs. Some can be grown from seeds, but as many are
patented hybrid cultivars you’ll need to buy them as plants. Consider planting some of these in prime
garden locations where they can be most enjoyed. They are striking in masses, especially as a
mix of various colors. They combine well
with upright ornamental grasses such as switchgrass and feather reed grass,
with the “other” coneflowers or Black-eyed Susans, with Russian sage, and with
many other perennials and shrubs.
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