Echinacea (Coneflower)
at Digging Dog

Including Echinacea pallida, Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea tennesseensis

Echinacea

Coneflower

Notable for a dashing display of bold, daisylike cut flowers and an easy-to-get-along-with personality, Echinacea is favored by beginning and experienced gardeners alike for its colorful yet indestructible nature. Sculpted with prominent and raised central cones, the hefty flower heads of this summer blooming perennial are lifted above the greenery on sturdy stems, which are strong enough to hold them without staking.

Native to the eastern and central U.S., the dark green, lanceolate leaves are reminiscent of a close relative, Rudbeckia. Perfect in a perennial border or peppered throughout a meadow garden, Coneflower’s erect stalks complement the more relaxed look of other plants.

Echinacea ‘Harvest Moon™’ 

“Echinacea” is derived from the greek word for hedgehog and this Echinacea’s pronounced rusty orange cones remind us of the little critter’s spiky fur. Lax, loosely arranged and luminous, the perfumed, overlapping golden yellow rays span 4 in. across and are resilient, even during the worst summer heat. Another prized Richard Saul introduction, ‘Harvest Moon’s extra long lasting, autumn-hued flowers are bolstered by abundantly branched staunch stems and a good-looking, compact leafy base. (pp#17652)

Blooms late July–September.

Size: 2' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4.

AVAILABLE APRIL 2008

Echinacea Harvest Moon™ (P-1444)
Each $7.50
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Echinacea Big Sky™ ‘Sundown’ 

(Evan Saul)

One of the celebrated stars from Richard Saul’s highly touted Big Sky breeding program in Atlanta, Georgia, ‘Sundown’ colors the landscape with blazing intensity. Vibrant, nearly iridescent pinkish orange petals bend back and overlap one another as they swirl around a pronounced chocolate-brown hub. A cross between purpurea and paradoxa, this Echinacea is not only a flamboyant, sweetly fragrant beauty, but a stocky workhorse delivering vigorous, multibranched stems and broad dark green foliage. (PPAF)

Blooms August–September.

Size: 2-1/2'–3' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4.

Echinacea Big Sky™ Sundown (P-1376)
Each $7.50
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Echinacea Big Sky™ ‘Sunrise’ 

More composed than our other Big Sky offering, but just as reliable, this cultivar serves up illuminated butter yellow blooms that soothe the colorful chaos of the summertime border. Subtly toothed, tasteful foliage defines a full, leafy footing for the ample-sized blooms, which emit a roselike scent while their raised greenish centers mature with golden highlights. (pp#16235)

Blooms August–September.

Size: 2-1/2'–3' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4.

Echinacea Big Sky™ Sunrise (p-1377)
Each $7.50
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Echinacea pallida 

Quite different from its robust cousins, this Echinacea’s ethereally rayed, pale pink to purple petals drape delicately from a bold brown center. A superb plant for naturalizing en masse, it is equally lovely in a bouquet.

Blooms August–October.

Size: 2-1/2' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 4.

Echinacea pallida (P-1108)
Each $6.00
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Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’ 

Dignified as the name implies, large, pure white flowers crest branching, stalwart stems cloaked in handsome dark green foliage. Broad and slightly reflexed, the bright petals achieve a stunning contrast as they skirt each golden brown boss. With an upright stance, ‘White Swan’ looks simply noble in the company of Monarda ‘Violet Queen’ and a dark red Sanguisorba.

Blooms July–mid-September.

Size: 2-1/2'–3' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4.

Echinacea purpurea White Swan (P-1021)
Each $6.00
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Echinacea tennesseensis ‘Rocky Top Hybrids’ 

Colored in rich, deep pink hues, the widely spaced, thin rays of this distinctive long bloomer turn upward and follow the sun throughout the day. While its flowers are a departure from the more typically reflexed Echinacea petals, its narrow, medium green leaf mass is somewhat shorter than other genus members.

An endangered species that thrives in the cedar glades of central Tennessee, this exciting new selection comes to us from Germany’s Jelitto Seeds. ‘Rocky Top Hybrids’ is well-suited for the border or a more untamed setting amidst a stand of Deschampsia and Panicum.

Blooms July–September.

Size: 2' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Echinacea tennesseensis Rocky Top Hybrids (P-1209)
Each $6.00
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