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Echinacea Chat- Other New items to consider?

15 years ago

Big Sky obviously has its own thread going, so I'll not go there with this thread.

I was just over at Great Garden Plants & Terra Nova and had a couple questions on some newer cones:

Tomato Soup- WOW! Question on this one about reliability & trueness of that gorgeous coloring if anyone's already grown it, as well as form: some pix show it with flat, stick-out petals, White Flower Farm shows it with down-turned petals and a prominent cone. Any idea which is the correct form for this one?

Greens (Green Jewel, Green Envy, Coconut Lime)- Are they reliable, or should one wait several years while these establish themselves in the market? (Having read all the hooplah on the Big Sky Series on the other thread)

Poofies & Doubles: Pink Poodle, Pink Double Delight & Hot Papaya- any commentary?

THANK YOU for turning me on to Echs! These are fabulous, and here this newbie thought that white & pink were 'it.' Guess I'll crawl out from under this rock that I've been under!

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Comments (3)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
15 years ago
'Tomato Soup' is a brand new (this season) introduction, so its performance long term is yet to be determined. It is also a hybrid form, which may make it less reliably perennial, ala the Big Sky series.

Both the greens and the "poofies and doubles" (with the exception of 'Hot Papaya') are selections of Echinacea purpurea and are pretty strong, viable plants.

I think this is a case of where the term "hybrid vigor" is a bit of a misnomer. The hybrids forms of echinacea seem to have some degree of less vigor and robustness than do the species that make up their parentage.
mmqchdygg
Original Author
15 years ago
bumping down. I should have searched first. Found another thread, and bumped that one up instead. Sorrysorrysorry!
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I bought one Sunset in 2007 and I still have the poor thing but doubt it will make it through another winter. Won't be buying the Big Sky series anymore. Just not worth it especially after hearing on the Perennial Forum that some place were in such a big rush to produce these that they fumbled in the labs when doing the tissue thing and due to the tissues not being kept sterile the plants ended up with lots of problems. I have one which resembles the Kim's Knee High and have found that although it is close to others which I grow, the seeds from it produce far superior plants with stunning pink/purple flowers and vigorous growth. I know there are some suppliers of Fothergills around here so will have to look for those seeds. If not, then I just might order from them. :O)
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Mickie Marquis
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Ditto on what garden gal said. I had 'Razzmatazz' for about 8 years and it diminshed last year - no apparant reason. I'm sure it won't be back this year. 'Coconut Lime' was very strong last year; looks like a good one. 'Tiki Torch' also seemed strong; but time will tell. I have about 35 cultivars and species in my garden. I expect vigor when I plant one. I want big fat stems and bold bright blooms. I don't want any native sissy hybrids that give the rest a bad reputation.

I will try 'All that Jazz' this year among others.

Here's a link to some other new ones - you may want to take a peak. I won't add all of these to my gardens, but 'Milkshake' sure looks like a cutie pie. Oh, they all do! I have no willpower. I'll killl them all about a dozen times and die in the poorhouse.

~Mickie

Here is a link that might be useful: Cone-fections

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