Breeders have put their best efforts toward developing new and improved colors and forms of thiseasy-growing native perennial wildflower.
Some of the newest varieties arehybridcrosses between two different coneflower species.
With these makeovers,Echinaceahas morphed into a rock star in the garden.
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With the addition of so many newEchinaceaforms, it is possible todesign an entire landscapecentered on this flower.
Not that there was anything wrong with the originalE.
purpurea, a familiar dusky purple daisy-like flower with a prominent orange center.
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Tip
All coneflowers can become dense and root-bound over time, causing blooms to become sparse.
Dig up, divide, and replant the root clumps to keep the plants vigorous.
This is a good time to propagate new plants and give prized varieties to friends and neighbors.
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White with a green center, these plants are deer-resistant and will grow in rocky soils.
This plant has the typical long bloom period (June through August) of the classic coneflower.
If you start your seeds indoors after Christmas, you will see summer blooms on these fast-growing plants.
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‘Cheyenne Spirit’ blooms June through August.
Flowers begin blooming in July and continue into September.
It was developed in Oregon as part of the Bird Series in 2009.
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One of the best features of thisbutterfly magnetis the non-fading color of the brilliant flowers.
‘Firebird’ blooms profusely from midsummer through fall.
Pair this early bloomer with the crimson and gold ‘Summer Punch’coreopsisor your favorite burgundyHeucheravariety.
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‘Flame Thrower’ has the typical long bloom seasonmid-summer through fall.
‘Greenline’ is a relatively early bloomer by coneflower standards, producing flowers from June to August.
Newly opened flowers start with a brilliant gold hue, which transition to tropical flame orange.
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‘Hot Papaya’ blooms from early to mid-summer.
The plants bear bright yellow flowers from July through October with occasional deadheading.
It blooms from June to August in most locations.
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‘Secret Passion’ joins eight other ‘Secret’ echinaceas, including ‘S.
Glow’, ‘S.
Desire’, and ‘S.
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Romance’, all sporting fully double and lushly petaled blossoms.
The flowers are fragrant and fade-resistant, making them valuable additions to your vase.
‘Secret Passion’ is a good choice for southern gardens and they bloom throughout the summer.
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Pair them with easybachelors buttonsand any white coneflower variety to complete the display.
Plant these in full sun for the best color development.
A medium-sized coneflower, this variety is known for enormous flowers, a full five inches across.
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Intense Orange (Echinacea ‘Intense Orange’)
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Dark green foliage complements the flowers, which continue to bloom from summer through frost.
It has pale yellow flowers with centers that start green and change to gold.
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The flowers are five inches across and very fragrant.
This hybrid blooms throughout the summer.
Its flowers start completely green, then gradually develop a halo of magenta around the center cone.
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This variety has a slightly shorter bloom season than other coneflowers (mid-to late-summer).
It is a good choice for very warm climates.
It is a pink coneflower with a unique double-layer bloom.
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It is a good choice for small gardens, or wherever a more compact variety is called for.
The clear pink flowers bloom from June to August.
Bravado (Echinacea purpurea ‘Bravado’)
‘Bravado’ resembles a traditional wild coneflower on steroids.
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Unlike native varieties, ‘Bravado’ holds its petals more outright, rather than curving downward.
It has the typical summer-long bloom period, from June through August.
This is quite a tall plant, and it blooms with a strong fragrance throughout the summer.
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This variety has deep golden yellow petals with large, striking orange cones.
Unusual for coneflowers, ‘Mango Meadowbrite ' has a spicy orange aroma.
This variety was developed at the Chicago Botanical Garden in 2004 as a cross betweenEchinacea purpurea’Alba" andEchinacea paradoxa.
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Its continued popularity is due to its unique deep orange or coppery-orange petals surrounding dark brown central cones.
This hybrid blooms from June to August.
It produces traditional-looking purple flowers in dense masses that are quite unusual for most coneflower varieties.
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Like the other ‘Meadowbrite’ varieties, this one was developed at the Chicago Botanical Garden.
It has the typical summer-long bloom season found in most coneflowers.
It’s a fragrant compact double flower with shades of pink petals and a pronounced darker raspberry pompom center.
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It’s perfect for borders, meadows, and even woodland gardens.
These deer- and drought-tolerant coneflowers bloom from June to August.
The large, bright, but lighter green ray petals are punctuated with dark green center cones.
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This variety will bloom from late spring into late summer and even offers occasional blooms until the frost hits.
This coneflower blooms from late summer through early fall.
The centers may have varying degrees of golden-reddish bullseyes or none at all.
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These coneflowers bloom in the summer, from June to August, and potentially into the early fall.
Each flower can grow to 4 inches in diameter.
These coneflowers bloom from early summer until late summer with sporadic flowering until the frost hits.
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Enjoy a tangerine accented garden of blooms in the summer with potential blossoms that appear until the first frost.
Blossoms continue from June through August with some blooms into September.
These pretty white flowers are butterfly magnets.
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Enjoy the show of blooms from June through August, and possibly longer into the late summer.
The center cone is purportedly shaped like a sombrero, which is how it got its original name.
This deeply colorful coneflower will produce blooms from late spring to late summer, and possibly even longer.
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Flowers can grow large at 4 to 6 inches in diameter.
This pop in of coneflower is best known for its beauty as a cut flower.
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