The Big Easy – Coneflowers

Last month I introduced you to my FAVORITE garden magazine, Garden Design. Each month I will shine the light on an enchanting feature in one of the current or upcoming issues. Hopefully, these will inspire many of you to do what I did. Subscribe to this one-of-a-kind; book-like; 11” X 9‘’; ad free; 144 page publication that comes out four times a year. Given the variety of features and unparalleled photographs, it will take you three months to get through each magazine before the next one arrives! For subscription details, click here.

The Summer 2015 issue includes a great story on coneflowers (Echinacea). Coneflowers are wildly popular across most of the country. For many good reasons – they are easy to grow; drought tolerant; long bloomers; terrific as cut flowers; attractive to bees, butterflies and birds provide winter interest and feed for birds. (Photo by Rob Cardillo. Echinacea Big Sky ‘Harvest Moon’)

The article shares the history behind many of the new cultivars and the breeders that introduced them. I hadn’t realized that the first cultivated varieties (there are nine species native to the United States), kicked off in Germany in the 1960’s. Now there seems to be a boundless number of colors available as well as flower shapes (standard shuttlecock, horizontal petals, doubles and crested, powder-puff centers), heights and flower size (some blooms can be up to 5” across). (photo by Rob Cardillo. Echinacea ‘Green Jewel’)

The article also spotlights fourteen coneflowers to consider adding to your collection. A beautiful read from many different perspectives! (photo by Rob cardillo. Echinacea ‘Coconut Lime’