Eddie Smith
I have enjoyed having Echinacea coneflowers in my garden for many years and feel that this striking perennial brings a burst of color to the garden.
During a recent visit to Dave Overturf and Ginger Wentz's Long Beach home, I was captivated by the beautiful Echinacea coneflower planted in their garden. Its deep green, lance-shaped leaves provide a lush backdrop for the brightly colored blossoms.
My favorite of these beautiful coneflowers is Echinacea Powwow Wild Berry. It is a stunning perennial that never ceases to impress me with its vibrant berry-colored flowers. This coneflower variety is known for its excellent color retention and easy flowering.
Large, daisy-like flowers with vibrant magenta petals surround a central orange-brown panicle, creating an eye-catching contrast. Each flower grows up to 4 inches wide and stands out brilliantly against the deep green foliage.
Another of my favorite plants, which I grew in a friend's garden, is the Sombrero series “Echinacea Adobe Orange.”
This perennial is a cornucopia of color, featuring large, daisy-like petals in a warm burnt orange hue that surround a striking, deep orange panicle. The long-lasting flowers grow up to 4 inches in diameter and bloom high on sturdy, upright stems.
Echinacea Powwow Wild Berry is a beautiful perennial known for its excellent color retention and abundant flowering. Photo by Eddie Smith, courtesy of MSU Extension
Perfect for the garden or cut flower arrangements.
I also love the dazzling, sun-drenched flowers of Echinacea Sombrero 'Lemon Yellow Improved', which has large, bright petals radiating out from a striking, bright yellow-orange panicle.
Echinacea coneflower grows best in full sun and well-drained soil. It is heat and drought tolerant. It can also grow in partial shade, but the number of flowers may be reduced and the stems may grow longer.
If the roots get too wet the plant will rot during the winter. It prefers well-drained sandy or loamy soil, but can also tolerate clay soils if organic matter is added.
Echinacea coneflowers are beneficial to wildlife, especially pollinators. I always love watching bees and butterflies visit the flowers in my garden. Echinacea seeds attract birds, especially finches, which feed on the echinacea seeds during the fall and winter when other food sources are scarce.
Additionally, Echinacea coneflowers are not palatable to deer or rabbits, a trait that allows Echinacea's vibrant flowers to continue blooming undisturbed in your landscape.
Flowering from early summer through fall, this plant is perfect for flower beds, borders, pots and cut arrangements, providing dynamic color throughout the growing season.
Eddie Smith is a horticulture expert and Pearl River County Coordinator for the Mississippi State University Extension Service, as well as the host of a popular Southern Gardening television show.
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