Color Coded coneflowers dazzle in the garden.
There’s something new hitting garden centers this spring. ‘The Price is White’ coneflower, with pristine white blossoms, makes its debut.
It’s part of the Color Coded series, which includes ‘Orange You Awesome,’ ‘Yellow My Darling’ and a red variety called ‘Frankly Scarlet.’
I tested these amazing Color Coded coneflowers in my garden last spring; the blooms started in April and were stunning through July. I decided to experiment this year by leaving a lot of seed heads going into August. I was ecstatic to have American goldfinches come in to eat the seeds on these, as well as the other varieties I was trialing. The seeds sent up up new plants in October.
I have to say they are the largest echinacea flowers I have ever grown.
If you are thinking echinacea ranges from purple to hot pink, well, that’s true. But something awesome has happened in the world of purple coneflowers — and that is science. It is a wonderful, complicated science when it comes to breeding.
There were crosses, back crosses, three-way crosses and more. The result is our native coneflower species have simply gotten better, bigger and we have more colors, flowers and habits — and you can include them in your
garden.
Some gardeners say the hybrids just don’t perform like the old-fashioned natives, especially when it comes to pollinators. I am thrilled, however, with the performance and pollinator
attraction in Proven Winners new Color Coded coneflowers.
Early spring is still my favorite time to plant native purple coneflowers. Select healthy growing transplants not yet in flower. These are the ones that are still producing roots, have green leaves and will get happy in your garden. But to be honest, the industry has changed, offering us healthy vibrant transplants in all stages and all seasons. I have had great success with these, too.
Whenever you decide to plant, choose a site in full sun for best flower performance. The soil need not be luxuriantly fertile. Space your Color Coded echinacea plants 16 to 20 inches apart in an informal drift or sweep. I’m growing the ‘Price Is White’ with ‘Blue Boa’ agastache, ‘Rockin Blue Suede Shoes’ salvia and ‘Pugster Amethyst’ buddleia. I partnered ‘Orange You Awesome’ with ‘ColorBlaze Lime Time’ for a wild, in-your-dreams combo.
Purple coneflowers still come in purple, and those are also recommended.
Keep your eyes open next spring for Proven Winners’ new Color Coded series. They will all pack beauty, fun and pollinators into the garden.