Echinacea 'BIG KAHUNA' coneflower

Big Kahuna is a big catch for American breeder Harini Korlipara from TerraNova® Nurseries in Oregon, USA. This coneflower boasts tropical orange, extra large flowers that are almost 14 cm across. The colour of ray florets are a combination of ripe mango and wild honey above, and pale salmon pink on the reverse which is often seen when the florets slightly curl their margins. Central cones are about 5 high, deep orange, and serve plenty of nectar to bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. Flowering begins in early July and lasts until autumn if plants are regularly dead-headed and fed. Stems are strong, 60-70 cm tall, withstand wind and rain, and adult plants have about 13 stems on average. US patent No. 26159 was issued in 2015.

Flowering begins at the top of the stems and continues from the axils along the stem. Regular deadheading will promote formation of new buds and flowers. Once you remove the flowers from one phase feed the plant to encourage formation of more large flowers in another phase. Leaves are mid green, 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.

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 11-08-2018