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Coneflowers: 7 Best Echinacea Varieties | Almanac.com

Coneflowers: 7 Best Echinacea Varieties

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Add this Native North American Plant to Your Garden!

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Coneflower, or Echinacea, is my favorite native North American plant. This rugged pollinator magnet comes in so many colors, shapes, and sizes. Here are seven coneflower varieties that we have planted over the years with success.

I have been under the weather lately, and one of the only things that seems to quiet my cough is echinacea. It got me to thinking about how much I love these coneflowers!

I have always appreciated the plant for its durability, able to withstand hot, dry summers, but hardy enough to survive the coldest winters.

A native North American plant indigenous to the central plains, Echinacea purpurea is virtually indestructible. We enjoy the color it brings to the summer garden with its large daisy-like, rosy purple petals surrounding a copper-colored, dome-shaped central seed head. There is also a yellow one called Echinacea paradoxa because of its unusual color.

Depending on your climate, be aware that hybrid coneflowers may not last as long in the garden as the original, E. purpurea, which is proven to stand the test of time!

7 Coneflowers to Try

Plant breeders have been busy and now we have more colors, shapes, and sizes to choose from. Here are seven varieties that I have planted in my garden.

  • ‘Sunrise’ has pale yellow flowers with central cones that start out green and change to gold. Bright and showy, the flowers are 5” across and very fragrant. The plants are 30-36 inches tall.
  • ‘Harvest moon’ is a cross of E. purpurea and paradoxa that has golden-yellow flowers with orange cones. It is a heavy branching plant that bears 4” wide flowers.

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  • ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ is a mix of colors that can be easily grown from seed. They grow to be 18-30 inches tall.

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  • ‘Green Envy’ has fat jade green petals with magenta veins. The center cones start out green and mature to a purple-brown. It grows to be 30-36 inches tall.

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  • ‘Razzmatazz’ is considered to be the first double-flowering echinacea. Instead of a central cone, each flower has a dome covered with short petals surrounded by a skirt of longer, reflexed petals. It is a bright pink and grows 32-26 inches tall.

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  • ‘Doubledecker’ looks like it is wearing a hat. Imagine a purple coneflower that has a second set of smaller petals growing from the top of the cone. Plants get to be about 40 inches tall.
  • ‘Kim’s Knee High’ is a compact-growing coneflower bearing rosy-pink flowers on an 18-inch-tall plant.

All these hybrids need the same care as regular coneflowers. They prefer full sun or morning sun and afternoon shade. Nutrient-rich, well-drained soil is optimum, but they will thrive in average soil, too. The flowers are great for cutting, lasting a week or more in a bouquet. 

There are many many more to choose from so when plant shopping this spring take a second look at coneflowers and add something new to your summer landscape.

See the Almanac’s Conflower Growing Guide for more information about when and how to plant these America natives!

About The Author

Robin Sweetser

Robin has been a contributor to The Old Farmer’s Almanac and the All-Seasons Garden Guide for many years. Read More from Robin Sweetser

2023 Gardening Club