Coneflowers (Echinacea) are enduring perennials that provide vibrant color from early summer to autumn. Beyond their visual appeal, these daisy-like blooms are magnets for pollinators such as butterflies and honeybees, and many variants yield seeds that attract songbirds in the fall. As a professional gardener, I often choose coneflowers for sunny gardens due to their hardiness in USDA Zones 3 to 8, reliability, ease of division, drought resistance, deer resistance, and the vast array of colors and forms they offer. Here are some of my top picks that would enhance any garden.
Heirloom coneflowers like Echinacea purpurea are well-known, with the classic ‘Magnus’ cultivar featuring pink flowers around 2 feet in height, and the white counterpart known as ‘Alba.’ Coneflowers often have a distinctive cone at the center that produces tiny seeds, attracting birds in the fall. Some new hybrids have multiple petal layers or pom-poms and might not produce seeds, so if you’re planting them to feed birds, include varieties with cone-shaped centers.
Hybrid coneflowers such as ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ and ‘Sunseekers’ offer a variety of colors, and planting a seed mix can yield a beautiful array of vibrant tones. Coneflowers are available in shades of pink, white, yellow, green, red, orange, and magenta, making it easy to match your garden’s palette. They pair well with other sun-loving, summer-blooming perennials like sedums, daylilies, tall phlox, asters, and mums.
‘Pow Wow Wild Berry’
The ‘Pow Wow Wild Berry’ coneflower brings vivid color to any garden with its bright fuchsia pink petals and striking orange and green cones. This compact plant, standing at 20 inches, is a blooming powerhouse that complements yellow and orange flowers like coreopsis, daylilies, and mums. Allow it to go to seed for birds to enjoy once the flowers fade.
‘Cantaloupe’
Part of the ‘Supreme’ series, the ‘Cantaloupe’ coneflower is a unique pale orange reminiscent of ripe cantaloupe slices. With its fluffy pom-pom tops and abundant petals, ‘Cantaloupe’ is a standout. Although it doesn’t produce seeds for birds, its nectar-rich flowers attract beneficial pollinators, including hummingbirds. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage new blooms.
‘Green Jewel’
Green flowers add a unique touch to gardens, and ‘Green Jewel’ does so with its pale green petals and greenish-yellow cones. Compared to other coneflowers like ‘Green Envy,’ ‘Coconut Lime,’ and ‘Prima Lime,’ ‘Green Jewel’ offers a light fragrance. Pair it with bright pinks or purples for a stunning contrast.
‘Delicious Candy’
‘Delicious Candy’ features raspberry-red outer petals and inner petals surrounding a green cone, forming a bright pom-pom in the center. These colorful blooms attract many pollinators and, unlike double coneflowers, provide seeds for birds once the petals fall.
‘Sunseekers Salmon’
The ‘Sunseekers’ series offers compact plants with colorful blooms. ‘Sunseekers Salmon’ has pale pink petals with coral and lilac hues surrounding reddish-brown cones, creating a beautiful garden palette.
‘Raspberry Truffle’
The ‘Raspberry Truffle’ is a new hybrid with pale pink outer petals and a fluffy topper of rosy pink petals around a gold center. While its nectar attracts pollinators, its seeds are less accessible to birds, so pair it with coneflowers like ‘Fatal Attraction’ or ‘Tiki Torch’ with prominent seed cones.
‘White Swan’
‘White Swan’ is a classic coneflower that stands up to 3 feet tall, offering creamy, slender petals slightly tinged with green and prominent cones in shades of green, orange, and gold. It provides visual contrast in a colorful coneflower bed or adds subtle color to an all-white garden.
‘Double Scoop Cranberry’
‘Double Scoop Cranberry’ is a stunning coneflower with cranberry red or deep fuchsia pink hues and large, fluffy pom-poms. Its bright colors attract hummingbirds and complement both warm and cool color schemes.
‘Sombrero Adobe Orange’
‘Sombrero Adobe Orange’ features large, daisy-shaped flowers that transition from bright orange to coral and salmon, with prominent orange and green cones. This sturdy, compact plant blooms for weeks and attracts beneficial pollinators.
‘Green Twister’
‘Green Twister’ offers a unique two-tone appearance with mauve-pink and green petals and deep orange centers. Its striking petal shape and appealing color combination add texture and fragrance to the summer garden, with central cones that attract pollinators and birds.
‘Mellow Yellows’
‘Mellow Yellows’ coneflowers showcase large, daisy-shaped flowers in warm shades of yellow, with green center cones tipped with yellow. This medium-sized coneflower blooms until the first frost, making it a favorite for summer gardens.
‘Cheyenne Spirit’
‘Cheyenne Spirit’ offers a diverse range of colors, including red, pink, coral, magenta, gold, and vermilion, with bright orange seed cones. Planting them from seed is exciting, as the colors are unpredictable. Save some seeds to enhance next year’s garden display.
‘Sunny Days Ruby’
The ‘Sunny Days’ series includes hybrids like ‘Sunny Days Ruby,’ featuring deep red coneflowers with magenta petals and a ruby red pom-pom center. It maintains its rich color all season and complements the yellow ‘Lemon’ cultivar.
‘Tiki Torch’
‘Tiki Torch’ is a tall and striking hybrid with golden orange blooms and large green and orange cones that attract butterflies and birds. Standing at 3 feet, its large flowers add a sunny presence and subtle, spicy fragrance to the garden.
‘Sombrero Salsa Red’
Part of the ‘Sombrero’ series, ‘Sombrero Salsa Red’ features vibrant red petals that attract hummingbirds. With large flowers and compact growth up to 24 inches, it blooms through the season, with some flower heads left for birds to feast on in autumn.
‘Fatal Attraction’
‘Fatal Attraction’ is a striking coneflower with deep red stems, magenta pink petals, deep orange cones, and a sweet fragrance. Growing up to 2 feet tall, it blooms from midsummer to September, extending the coneflower season with its graceful, cupped flowers.
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