Echinacea are perennials that love the heat and the sun. They bloom from June until October with colors from white, yellow, orange, red to pink and magenta. They are completely dormant in the winter so they are good plants to share the area with Daffodils.

The Echinacea garden at Dawn Gardens started with the purchase of 150 3” pots from a mail order nursery back east. They were planted with 2 1 gal. emitters and watered 3 times a week for 45 minutes. They are in an area that gets 75% sun in the summer. They will be able to survive with water once every 2 weeks but they are irrigated with plants that need more water.

 

This is the area where the Echinacea were planted in 2018.

Plants from 3″ pots were put in gallons into the shade house for the winter and in June they were planted out.

One year three months later

Echinaceas are native to the plains of the US north to Saskatchewan.

Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’

Echinacea ‘Cheyenne Spirit’

Echinacea ‘Sombrero Hot Coral’

Echinacea ‘Sombrero Sandy Yellow’ 

Echinacea ‘Sombrero Baja Burgundy’

Echinacea pallida

The Echinaceas are cut back in September or October with a power hedge clipper.

Along with the Echinacea we planted Mexican Feather Grass, Echinops, and Verbena bonariensis.

In the background: Mexican Feather Grass (Nassella tenuissima)

Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro) are winter dormant just like the Echinacea so Daffodils are planted among them for spring color.

Verbena bonariensis are evergreen but they don’t bloom in the winter. They are very airy and you can see through the stems.  They will get 6-8′ tall and provide wispy wands of purple balls over the Echinacea.  We do not put emitters on the Verbena; they will survive all summer with no water.  They will gradually seed in more plants and next year they will be easily visible in the following video.

Video taken June, 2019

Video taken July, 2020.

Note that the Verbena bonariensis are easily visible now.

Red Echinacea, blue pot creates great contrast.