Over the last 10 years, I have written several times about the attributes of our North American native, Echinacea purpurea, or what we commonly refer to as a coneflower. These tough perennials mix well with ornamental grasses, sedums, lavender, black-eyed Susan daisies and really, just about any summer blooming perennial that likes a hot, dry, location.
And while they have been a staple on most gardens, traditionally they only came in purple or white. That is, until breeders crossed them with a yellow flowering species. That is when all hell broke loose — in mostly a good way, of course.
In the early days of Echinacea breeding, there were many new introductions that proved to be less than reliable for Northwest gardeners. Our wet soils and relatively mild winters could cause them to rot and not return in spring. Also, some of those early introductions were too tall and spindly and would tend to flop over in a summer rain. I can’t begin to tell you how many new selections I have managed to kill over the last 10 years. This is an unfortunate side effect of having severe “plant lust,” but one that I am happy to endure. Fortunately, most of the newer offerings are much more compact and sturdier and only grow to 18 to 24 inches tall and as wide, so they make a nice compact clump.
These days in garden centers, you can find cone flowers in warm shades from yellow to orange to red and all the tropical variations in between, not to mention fun double forms. Some of the original introductions, such as the ‘Meadowbrite’ and ‘Big Sky’ series have been replaced with newer forms such as the ‘Sombrero’ series. There are literally dozens of choices to be had on garden center benches this time of year, and they are all worth making space for in your garden.
The most recent ones to catch my attention are from the ‘Evolution Series,’ and they are being grown by one of our favorite suppliers, Monrovia Growers. Here are their descriptions of the color options they are producing for this summer…
Evolution Colorific: An enchanting green cone at the center of every bloom, framed by dense petals in a lovely palette of pink hues. Lush foliage and sturdy, upright stems create a beautiful backdrop for the continuous profusion of blooms from late spring through fall. Stunning in beds, borders and containers
Evolution Embers Sparks: Bright, sunny blooms for easy color from late spring through fall. Semi-double, golden yellow petals surround showy center cones. A cutting garden essential, perfect for containers or mixed perennial borders. Allow dried flower heads to remain on plants for wintering songbirds.
Evolution Fever: This one sports large red blooms on a tidy, well-branching plant that makes it ideal for adding bold color to mixed borders, containers, and cutting gardens.
Evolution Fiesta: A riot of color with spicy coral-pink flowers that age to softer shades. New flowers emerge throughout summer, providing a lively display.
Evolution Yellow Falls: Lemon yellow petals arch downward from showy center cones. A cutting garden essential, and perfect for containers or borders.
Look for these new introductions (not all may be available) along with multiple other choices from other growers. And remember to plant them in full sun and good drainage, where they should return year after year and provide you with generous bouquets of flowers all summer long. Keep on gardening. Summer is perfect for adding more plants to the garden!
Steve Smith represents Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, and can be reached at sunnysidenursery@msn.com
Free class
Sunnyside is bringing back in-person classes at the nursery, starting with “Hydrangealicious” at 10 a.m. July 16, and “PNW Shade Gardening” at 11 a.m. July 17. For more information, go to www.sunnysidenursery.net/classes.
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