Echinacea SUNSEEKERS EMBERS coneflower
Symbivit Tric (arbuscular)
Symbivit (arbuscular)Echinacea
Echinacea, known by its common name coneflower, is a perennial plant of the North American prairies, where it has thrived for thousands of years. Fossil pollen from related members of the daisy family has been found in sediments millions of years old, meaning its foremothers grew on this continent long before the arrival of humans. The Indigenous peoples of America (including the Sioux, Comanche, and others) knew its medicinal properties and used it to relieve pain, treat inflammation, snakebites, and even rabies. The genus name comes from the Greek echinos – hedgehog – referring to the spiny, cone-shaped centre of the flower head. Today, about nine species are recognized, the most common in cultivation being E. purpurea, along with E. paradoxa, E. pallida, and E. angustifolia. It was botanically described by the German botanist Konrad Mönch (aka Conrad Moench, 1744–1805) based on herbarium material brought to Europe by missionaries and naturalists from American expeditions. Echinacea reached Europe at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, but its true explosion of colour came in 1995, when E. purpurea was crossed with E. paradoxa at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The result was the very first orange cultivar named Art’s Pride, which sparked an era of vividly coloured varieties in shades ranging from delicate pastels to rich, warm tones.
Do you love deep and warm colours? How about orange or golden? These are my favourite so no wonder I am nuts about this 2023 introduction of hybrid coneflower from the SUNSEEKERS series. It does not have a trade name yet and its provisional name says SUNSEEKERS EMBERS. How apt! It produces rather large, on average 8 cm across, single, slightly fragrant flowers which glow in three colours shades of hot embers: deep orange, vivid golden, and fiery red. But the show is not over yet – as the flower mature, golden colour is replaced with light raspberry purple tones.
The discs are rather flat (not cone-shaped), dark orange and brown, and hide plenty of nectar for butterflies, bumble bees as well as bees. Flowering begins from midsummer and lasts until the last sunny and warm days of autumn. Longevity of individual flowers is 2-3 weeks. Plants are low, compact and dense. Stems are usually 30-40 cm tall. Deadhead spent flowers regularly and feed the plants every two weeks during summer. Leaves are healthy, deep green, and broadly lanceolate. PFAF.
SunSeekers is a coneflower series bred by Innoflora BV and marketed by Gootjes AllPlant BV from the Netherlands. The first part consists of varieties whose patent names begin with Apecss- and comprises of plants with single flowers of remarkably rich colours. While the second part of the series with patent names beginning with Ifecss- breaks through with a completely new and innovative design of semi-double flowers which recall gerbera and dahlia rather than a coneflower. The first and hugely successful variety was SunSeekers Salmon and was awarded Gold Medal by KVBC at Plantarium Exhibition 2018.
The plant is usually trouble-free and resistant, just be careful if 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.
Last update 15-09-2023
Coneflowers are beautiful, low-maintenance perennials that bloom from the first half of summer until autumn. The central discs hide nectar eagerly sought by butterflies and bumblebees. Regular deadheading, along with occasional feeding with liquid fertilizers, will extend the flowering season. Their stems are very sturdy, withstanding heavy rain and wind. They will grow in almost any well-drained, non-waterlogged soil in full sun, but dislike overly acidic conditions. Although native to the prairies, experience shows that hybrid types in particular dislike prolonged drought and appreciate extra watering during the driest parts of the year. In spring, watch out for slug invasions, which can consume much of the fresh growth – offering them beer traps is a great and effective way to lure them to a boozy demise while protecting your plants. Hardy to at least -29 °C (USDA zone 5), possibly lower, and requiring no winter protection
