These sturdy perennials bloom from early summer until frost. Butterflies revel in the flowers and the seed heads are beloved of goldfinches. Easy to grow and trouble free, Coneflowers are at home in the wild garden as well as in the more refined perennial border, and make ideal cut flowers.
Echinacea is easy to grow seed. Either give 45 days cold treatment ( place seed pack in fridge ) or sow outdoors 1/2 inch deep when a light frost is still possible. Seeds will germinate in 10-20 days. Flowers reliably bloom the first year from seed if sown early.
Pinch off spent flowers on a regular basis, or use them as cuttings in flower arrangements to extend the blooming period. Apply a quality flower fertilizer several times during the gardening season to promote big, beautiful blossoms. Mulch to prevent weeds, conserve moisture and improve aesthetics.
TPF113 Purple Coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea )
Echinacea purpuea is one of the great butterfly magnets of the native perennial garden. Coneflowers are easy to grow in average to dry, well drained soils. Flowers with large orange gold spiky centers and strong reflexed rose pink petals appear in July and August. Very drought tolerant.Easy to grow, used medicinally.
Plants are heat and drought tolerant, and blooms are used for cut and dried flower arrangements. The drug Echinacea, used to boost the immune system, comes from this genus. Divide clumps when they become overcrowded (about every 4 years). Plants usually rebloom without deadheading, however prompt removal of spent flowers improves general appearance. Freely self-seeds if at least some of the seed heads are left in place. Best suited for zones 4-9.
3677 Green Twister Butterfly Plant ( Echinacea purpurea )
These wonderful plants are irresistible to butterflies, long-blooming, ultra-colorful, and carefree, the perfect garden plant.
The petals are held nearly straight out from the bloom, instead of bent back like many other Coneflowers, giving Green Twister more color on every giant bloom. And there are simply so many blooms, they begin in midsummer and continue into fall! When they finally do pass, be sure to let the birds feast on the huge mahogany-brown coneheads, or harvest them for dried arrangements.
Carefree in any sunny spot, these drought-tolerant plants reach 3-1/2 feet tall, tolerating light shade though best in the blazing heat. Bearing literally hundreds of blooms over its many months of color, Green Twister is a garden workhorse, yet looks so effortless and lush in the sunny bed or border!
For zones 3-9.
AW89 Dynamic Duo Echinacea & Black Eyed Susan Mix
Pollinator attractor. Deer resistant. Thrives in bright, sunny growing areas.
Do you find yourself torn between purple coneflower and black-eyed susan's? Which will it be? Fret not, for we are here to save the day with our Dynamic Duo! Because two is better than one. This is a match made in the stars, so why keep them apart? For zones 3-9, grows up to 48" tall.
JB246 Cheyenne Spirit Echinacea
2013 AAS Flower Winner.
This stunning first-year flowering Echinacea captures the spirit of the North American plains by producing a delightful mix of flower colors from rich purple, pink, red and orange tones to lighter yellows, creams, and white. This wide range of flower colors on well-branched, durable plants are sure to please the color preferences of any gardener. As an added bonus, 'Cheyenne Spirit' does not require a lot of water and offers a wide range of uses from the perennial border, in a mass landscape planting, in a butterfly garden or as a cut flower.
The AAS judges and their trial garden visitors raved about the attractiveness of the flowers and the range of colors while appreciating its sturdiness and low water needs. Even during wind and rain, this compact plant does not topple over like many Echinacea. The variety of intense, bright colors adds sparkle to the garden from mid-summer through fall. As an added bonus, this maintenance-free Echinacea doesn’t even need deadheading to provide summer-long beauty.
Cheyenne Spirit is also the recipient of the Fleuroselect Gold Medal award for performance in European trials.
2239 Echinacea Magnus ( Echinacea purpurea )
Perennial. 1998 Perennial Plant Winner. Blooms All Summer Long!
Extra-large, hot-pink blooms up to 7 inches across, with petals
held out flat (instead of recurved), plus easy-care and
drought-tolerant. Magnus reaches 31/2 feet tall in full sun to
light shade, blooms from June through September!
Color: Hot Pink Zone:2-9 Spacing: 12" Height:3-4 feet. Start Seeds: Anytime of year inside, for
transplanting outside in Spring.
2240 Echinacea White Swan ( Echinacea purpurea )
Pure white petals, orange-brown disks. 41/2-inch blooms on
plants 24 inches tall.
Color: White/Brown Zone: 2-9 Spacing: 12" Height: 24" Start Seeds: Anytime of year inside, for
transplanting outside in Spring.