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Summer of 2006 I got two Harvest Moons & two Sunsets from either Park Seed or Wayside Gardens (I've read the post)
All four came back last year and did fairly well. One of the Harvest Moons is doing great this year, this is the other. I think it will survive, but it sure does look like crap.

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After having said that, I do think the flower is very pretty.

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The Sunset are pretty at a distance, but when you get close up, they really are quite ratty looking. This photo does not do the color justice, it was photographed around 8:00pm.

Hope this helps,
Harry V
Glen Allen, VA

I'll post a Harvest Moon photo tomorrow. That one is very pitiful. Here are the 2 monstrosities for today...Sunrise and Sundown. They are disgusting!

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What's with the strange mottling on the Sundown flower? Ugh... I have to agree with you - a basic purple coneflower would have been better.

Where did you get these plants? Were they part of the problems with the Stacy's distributor that I've been reading about in your other posts?

Good luck...

radagast, that Sundown was ordered from Wayside Gardens last year. I have since pulled that one up and burned it! It's not just Home Depot with these abnormal plants, but mail order places too.

I can't post pics because my Sunrise and Sunset are long gone and I won't be replacing the with the same. Sunset didn't make it through the first winter. Sunrise did, but for two summers it looked like c--p and I yanked it out. No vigor, ugly flowers, quilled petals. Mind you I have no problem with quilled petals if they're supposed to be. This was just ugly.

Here's my Sunset last year:
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Here's my Summer Sky last year, and it didn't return. The big bloom in the middle is simply faded; I did LOVE this one, for a short time anyway :(
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I do also have Harvest Moon, but don't recall ever taking a picture of it; I may have early on. I think the woodchuck mowed it down last year. Status unknown at this time...

I got mine last year, at the end of the season as the nights got cooler, it got horrible PM. It did return this year and the flowers are a nice color.

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But what is with these leaves? (Sorry my camera does not do closeups well)

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Perhaps the plants are suffering from too much Miracle Grow.
One of the things natural fertilizers do is make the plants better able to resist viruses and fungus diseases.
Linda c

Im new to gardening so I dont know what a BIG SKY coneflower is but I recently learned that although the echinacea plant I bought says that it is "drought resistant" doesnt mean I dont have to water it. Here are some pics of my plant before & after water......

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I have yet to fertilize it this season so that can't be it with mine. And I water it very consistently. I think mine looks fungal?

redsox,

My Sundown had the same problem! I pulled off all the ugly growth and now it has green leaves growing. These plants are just sickly. Something went haywire in their genetics. It's bizarre how they get these ugly, quilled petals and other deformities. The one After Midnight I have left is beautiful, however.

dtowjbrown, drought resistant in a description refers to plants that need very little or no extra water - once established...key word is established :) Nothing newly planted in your garden is going to be exceptionally drought tolerant, but you can ease off on providing supplemental water once fully rooted into your beds which may take the first year after planting.

I think I am going to replace mine next year with some Penstemon. Too bad, I loved the color.