If you love purple coneflowers, then you have to put Prairie Splendor at the top of your list. Echinaceas have undergone quite a transformation in recent years with the additions of other colors and even those with frilly or fancy flowers. But it seems that the old-fashioned rose pink is still the most-loved garden perennial.
There are several things that make Prairie Splendor a real winner in anyone’s book. First, it is a really fast bloomer. First-year plants reach full potential. Second, not only is it the first bloomer but it also usually is the last, as well. Finally, it has a compact nature. “Prairie Splendor” dazzles in the garden at about 24 inches and boasts large flowers.
You have a lot of options when using it in the garden. You can do the obvious and use it as the backbone of the cottage- style border. Use it with rudbeckias or gloriosa daisies and tall blue South American verbena for a really stunning display.
Prairie Splendor also opens the door for creating the wild- flower or meadow look. Sown or transplanted in large informal drifts with black-eyed Susan, it can be used to create the ultimate wildflower meadow. You’ll also find that it makes an excellent cut flower and staple in the backyard wildlife habitat feeding birds and butterflies.
Early is the best time to plant purple coneflowers. Select a healthy growing transplant in a 4-inch container, and you will most likely find success. These small plants without buds are still producing roots and green leaves. This also goes for rudbeckias, Shasta daisies and coreopsis.
Choose a site in full sun for best flower performance. While the soil need not be luxuriantly fertile, if it takes a stick of dynamite or a jackhammer to break apart, plan on incorporating 3 to 4 inches of organic matter.
While tilling, go ahead and work in a slow-release 12-6-6 fertilizer. Space your plants 18 to 24 inches apart. An informal teardrop or figure-8-shaped drift will look awesome once the flowers are blooming.
Try this coneflower with purple fountain grass for a real showy display.
In addition to Prairie Splendor, look also for the award-winning Magnus, perennial plant of the year in 1998. Magnus is a real winner in the garden. It was selected for its vibrant, rose-purple flowers; its petals also remain horizontal rather than drooping toward the ground.
Bravado is another of my favorites because of fragrance. It may just be me, but a mid-morning stroll through a patch of Bravado is a sensory sensation.
Echinacea has long been popular as a health-food supplement, but to me, growing a patch of blooming coneflowers far outweighs the effect of a pill.
