Echinacea 'ROSITA' coneflower

Rosita coneflower comes from the same breeder as for example Chiquitta, Hot Lava, or Aloha coneflowers. Her name is Harini Korlipara and she is from Terra Nova Nurseries in Oregon, USA. Rosita is a rather short variety growing only about 35 cm tall, producing large, 6-8 cm across, daisy-like flowers of very light lilac-pink colour where only ray floret tips are a little darker pink. The central deep orange discs are attractive for butterflies, bumble bees as well as bees that can also find a way to get some nectar from their cone-like discs.

Deadheading will prolong blooming time and enhance production of new flower buds. Leaves are deep green, broadly lanceolate and may suffer from diseases if grown in wet or compacted soil. The plant is usually trouble-free and resistant, just be careful is slugs are present in your garden. Since coneflowers emerge quite late, often when slugs are already in their lethal strength, they could gobble up newly emerging foliage totally and thus destroy the plant before it even comes out. Rosita coneflower is a hybrid variety patented under PP24,392 in 2014.

Coneflower will tolerate almost any soil type but boggy. It loves full sun. It is suitable for mixed borders with perennials, or can be used as a flowering feature among low shrubs and conifers, and looks lovely when planted in a mass in a container on patios and balconies. Fully hardy to min -34°C (USDA zone 4).

Last update 29-08-2014