I've done some more homework on the Big Sky echs. Went to a local plant farm near here that I go to about every other year. They have the healthiest, best plants I have ever seen. The reason I only go every other year is because it is over an hour away and they have so many thousands of perennials that I pack my car to the hilt and can't afford to eat for a week! LOL! This farm is retail and wholesale. When I worked as a perennial buyer for an independent retailer, we bought 95% of our perennials from them because of the variety they carried and the quality of the stock. They grow all of their own. So, first thing, I head for the echinaceas. Thousands of them in both quarts and gallons. At least 5 blooms on the quarts and a dozen on the gallons. And tons of Big Skys - Sunrise, Sundown, Twilight and Harvest Moon. I was determined to look at every bloom. In fact, the back of my neck is burnt to a crisp from spending close to two hours looking down at every single bloom! Not a single petal out of place. No quills either. And colors looking exactly like the tags. Even the older blooms were very bright. Harvest Moon had blooms as big as my fist. So I asked an employee, what gives? Why are there so many complaints and why do yours look so good? He had never heard of a problem and has never had a problem. He said it has to be the stock. He directed me to the perennial bed, where there are Big Skys that have been in the ground fo two years and they were just gorgeous. And he said he has a whole garden of them at home and not a single problem. He said the only Big Sky that he has heard of problems with in Sunrise, which he doesn't carry. And of course the old Meadowbrite series. And he quit carrying Razzmatazz because it is very hard to grow in our area. So I'm thinking it has to be the original stock that is the problem? He said there are only 4 or 5 distributers of the original stock and that could be why the problems are nationwide. He did ask me to send pictures because he was very interested in the problem. I might add that I have never bought an ech from him except for Fragrant Angel which is still going strong after 4 years. So I have to confess, I bought one Harvest Moon, just to see how it performs compared to the ones I have with no petals. I also bought some other echs that are not Big Sky series. his stock was so gorgeous. He had After Midnight, Coconut Lime, Fragrant Angel, Green Eyes, Kim's Knee High, Kim's Mophead, Merlot, Pink Double Delight, Prairie Splendor, Purity, ruby Star, Ruby Giant, The King, Virgin, Pixie Meadowbrite, White Swan and Tiki Torch. Not a single bad bloom on any of them. Believe me, I checked each and every one. And I had to take a few more Tiki Torch and Double Delight! I love them! Does anyone have The King? It was not blooming yet so I didn't take the chance. I do believe this grower when he says he doesn't have any problems. He is well known for pulling plants that don't perform. He no longer sells several of the coreopsis because they didn't winter over here. And some signs and catalog descriptions say that even thought the plant is a perennial it does not perform that way here. I will let you all know how my new Harvest Moon does. If it keeps up the way it looks now, I will be over there buying truckloads full!

It's just starting to open...so I would withhold judgement until then as to pretty or not. Although I guess that is in the eye of the beholder, and could be colored by person experiances...I like the color anyway, even if it's not what I thought it was. I thought the nursery I got it from only did white swan and the common purple ones, but they always seem to sell out of white swan so I figured if it overwintered, it must be a purple one.

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 have had two Big Sky Sunrise not make it through winter. I'm sure it was from drainage problems not cold. I have also lost Kim's Knee High. Prairie Splendor is doing well.