You’d think I would’ve learned my lesson after the furry, large-eared rodents decimated most of my coneflowers this summer, but while I was on a shopping trip to replace a few said coneflowers, I ran across this bright-red little beauty, and it was love at first sight.
Meet echinacea (coneflower) ‘Sombrero Salsa’:
The flowers are absolutely captivating, and the plant is compact, well-branched and loaded with flowers.
At least I had the good sense to nestle it inside a chicken wire cage so it has a fighting chance.
‘Sombrero Salsa’ is a perennial echinacea that grows 2 feet tall. The plant will keep blooming all summer long if you dead-head the spent flowers.
If my new little conversation piece survives winter, it could easily become one of my favorite plants.
4 comments
What a beauty! I have four echinacea that I grew from seed last year. All four survived our winter, but only were beginning to bloom when we left home for our holiday. I’m uncertain about the names as I bought the seed on eBay three years ago. I’m doubtful if they are true to the original plants. James
I still like this plant—the flowers are breathtaking, but it’s on my “watch” list right now. We’ve had a dry spell for several weeks and even though I keep it well-watered, it’s flagging like crazy and showing early signs of disease. I really need to learn not to get lured in by the hybrid echinaceas…
How did your great coneflower come along. My four are still blooming well, despite our terribly wet September. However, they are not true to Colours; all are basically a purplish-pink. When visiting Toronto I saw lots, but except for a few whites and the occasional yellow they were a similar purple. Still they looked okay. James
I just went outside and checked on it. I cut it back a few weeks ago so no blooms right now. The sick part (maybe 1/4 of the plant) has croaked entirely, but the rest of the plant looks fine and has buds on it. Who knows if I’ll get to see them mature. The weather people are warning of an unusual cold blast by the end of next week (perhaps coming from your direction?). I’m guessing that will be the end of the growing season for us if it materializes. That’s interesting (and I’m sure frustrating!) that none of your plants are true to color. I’ve never had that happen with coneflowers.
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