I planted seeds from all of them. The plants you get from their seeds will be healthier than they are. You will also get some interesting bloom colors. I have one that looks like After Midnight, but it is much more of a dwarf plant. It came back this year too! I have one that has blooms that start out red and change to orange and then yellow. It looks like three colors of blooms on one plant. It's fun planting them and seeing the many different types of plants that are possible. I have some Paradoxa seeds I planted that are definitely a cross with my other coneflowers. I can't wait till these bloom. I'll have to post pictures. Here are 3 pictures of some of the ones I planted last year. I can't wait till they start blooming this year. They all are coming up now. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/2702285426_fc8a450c1a.jpg?v=0

Nice plant! I have Sundown too & love mine. I hear terrible things about it, but it has done really well here. Has reseeded quite a bit & all but 2 seedlings-out of dozens-have been the same as the parent.

So I'm back to report that I did end up getting 3 of these echinacea as well as a bare root "Irresistible". The Irresistible had just broken dormancy (a very small sprout) and when planted the sprout died almost immediately and no new sprouts have shown since. It's been 5-6 weeks and I'm wondering if it's ever going to show. There's been no shortage of moisture but we're just now getting some warm weather. Could it be that it's just been waiting for some sun? The Big Sky plants had been potted and came wrapped but they didn't do very well in transit and the foliage died back on those as well after planting. One looks like it's struggling to survive while the others have done nothing. Meanwhile the "Milkshakes" which came fully potted, are doing very well. These glamour varieties, while beautiful, are too pricey for experimenting so if the survival rate is low I will think twice before purchasing again.

I like it with some of the ornamental grasses, Shenandoah Switch Grass has a red cast that would play nice off the coneflower, and the textures work well. I also like it with some of the blue meadow sages, like 'May Night' or 'Caradonna', it would also be nice with Sedum 'Matrona' or really deep burgundy Asiatic lilies. I agree it is a bit touchy to place; total yuck with pink, kinda blah with white, clashy with orange, yellow could work but it is not the best. I would walk around the nursery with one and just set it next to everything I think might work...Good luck, Helen.