Echinacea purpurea PRAIRIE SPLENDOR™ |
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Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.
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| | Common Name: Coneflower-Purple |
Unanimously voted in as a 2007 Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner! This is the first Echinacea to bloom 100% the first year from seed! It was introduced by S&G Flowers.
Prairie Splendor™ boasts and earlier bloom time (up to 2 weeks earlier than other varieties) and an extended flowering period from late June to the first frost. The 4-6 inch wide, rose pink flowers are presented atop compact, well-branched plants. This variety is relatively short for an Echinacea, measuring in around 2 feet tall.
Praised for their large, daisy-like flowers which appear from midsummer thru fall, after many other perennials have finished blooming, Coneflowers are a mainstay in today's garden. If deadheaded, the bloom cycle will be extended. However, some spent blooms should be left on the plants in fall because their seeds provide winter food for finches and other birds. The dried seed heads also provide architectural interest in the winter.
Introducer: S&G Flowers
Origin: Native Cultivar
Characteristics:
Height:
24 Inches
Spread:
18-24 Inches
Flower Color:
Pink shades
Foliage Color:
Green shades
Sun or Shade?:
Full sun (> 6 hrs. direct sun)
Part shade (4-6 hrs. direct sun)
Wet or dry?:
Low water needs
Average water needs
Want to see wings?:
Attracts butterflies
Attracts songbirds
Need critter resistant plants?:
Deer resistant
How fast should it grow?:
Medium
When should it bloom?:
Early summer
Midsummer
Late summer
Early fall
How's your soil?:
Poor Soil
Average Soil
Fertile Soil
Sweet or Sour Soil?:
Acidic Soil (pH < 7.0)
Neutral Soil (pH = 7.0)
Alkaline Soil (pH > 7.0)
What's your garden style?:
Container/Patio
Prairie
Cottage
Eclectic
Echinacea purpurea is a wildflower native to the eastern United States and is well-adapted to survive the hot, windy conditions typical of that region. If properly cared for, they will form attractive colonies and will live for many years.
Coneflowers like it sunny and hot. Though they will tolerate light shade, fewer flowers will be produced and the plants will be weakened. Light, loamy soils are best but coneflowers will grow in any well-drained soil. Once established, they are quite drought tolerant.
The word "echinacea" comes from the Greek word "echinos" meaning "hedgehog", referring to the flower's spiky central cone.