Wow!  This new variety is incredibly impressive for a seed grown Echinacea.  It’s no surprise that it is a 2010 All America Selections winner.

In our trials, we noted how floriferous the plants were.  Each stocky, relatively short plant carried a bouquet of fragrant, 3-4”, deep purple-pink to near-magenta flowers on stiff, branched stems. More branches result in more flowers per plant and a showier display in the landscape.  We noted that the older flowers were nearly the same magenta color as the new flowers; the flowers held their bright coloration very well as they aged.

This first year flowering perennial reportedly keeps on blooming without having to be deadheaded, though you may still want to trim back spent flowers to maintain a tidy appearance.

Praised for their cheerful brightly colored flowers, coneflowers are a mainstay in today’s garden. Be sure to leave some spent blooms on the plants in the fall because their seeds provide winter food for finches and other birds. The dried seed heads also provide architectural interest in the winter.