Thank you for all of the nice comments! The allium in the bottom left of the Rock Solid is not real, it's garden art - I bought them several years ago from Gardeners Supply, they were called 'Everlasting Allium' :o) I gave all of them a fresh coat of spray paint over the last year.

Mantis, I looked it up and I've had Michael Bennett since Aug 2012. I think it's been growing pretty well for me. I'm pretty sure I had it in a pot for a year or two, then planted it in the ground and I moved it last year. I'm not sure how many fans I have, but it has definitely increased. I'm not sure about budcount on it. Youthful hands, hah! I sure don't feel youthful most days... I guess it's all relative - but I am under 50.

Nancy, allium do not do well here at this house. They grew really well at my old house, which is just 3 miles from here, but there is major clay here (I don't know if it's native or just crummy fill dirt that the builder brought in). The alliums I planted here are petering out. I have a couple of other different colored echinacea that I like too (Sundown, I think, and a Cheyenne Spirit that is mostly reddish), but I just really love this Dixie Scarlet. I found it at a Farmer's Market last year but haven't seen it again this year. I'm not clear on how the Cheyenne Spirit is supposed to work - my mom and I 'argue' about this once in a while (did on Tuesday night on a garden walk, as a matter of fact!). She and her friend insist that there are different colored flowers on the same plant (and I know the marketing pictures show that), but I think it's just because there are multiple seeds planted in the same pot that grow together and look like one plant.

Sherry, I just got Neon Flamingo last year, so really can't comment too much on it. I have only had two blooms open so far. But, here is a picture I just took of the plant, you can see how straight and sturdy the scapes are. They are around 28-31" tall, but again, the plant isn't settled in yet.

Kay, I can see why it is one of your new favorites!