Echinacea 'GUAVA ICE'^®

Dutch coneflower breeder Arie Blom has another beauty on his success list. It is called Guava Ice^® and was first introduced at Plantarium Exhibition in 2010. 2 years later it became available in garden centres and I believe that everyone who know the tropical fruit guava will approve of the breeder’s judgment of colour.

Guava Ice^® coneflower produces fully double, bobby-hat-like flowers of an unusual mixture of rich warm salmon red to deep orange. The disc florets are purple pink. The plant makes about 60-70 tall stems with flowers at the tops. When these fade out, new buds emerge along the stems and if regularly deadheaded this variety can flower until September given enough nutrients.

Coneflowers are maintenance-free perennials that have beautiful flowers in various colour shades from mid summer until early fall. They come out on sturdy stems that do not break in wind or heavy rain. Flowers attract butterflies and bumble bees. Lanceolate leaves grow from the ground and then up along the stems.

Coneflower will tolerate almost any soil type but boggy. It loves full sun. Deadheading will prolong flowering time. 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 19-08-2016