Fresco® Apricot Coneflower

Our native coneflower, Echinacea, has come a long way since the days when it was a tall, rather gawky purple flower, with slightly sad, drooping petals. The range of colors has expanded, and plants have become more compact and cheerful. It isn’t over, as you can see with the remarkable Fresco™ Apricot Echinacea, with flowers in a wonderful range of apricot shades, multiple petals in the circle, giving it a frilly look – some say the blooms look like zinnias. Growing only 2 feet tall, and with a unique narrow structure, you can easily slip this beauty into empty spaces among your perennials. Grow it with early-blooming perennials to enjoy its summer blooms, or grow it in planters and boxes, alone to enjoy the palette of shades, or mixed with other flowers, perennials or annuals. Very easy to grow, tolerant of heat, sun and dryness, this really is a beautiful plant that you will enjoy in your garden for years to come.

• Frilly flowers in a whole rainbow of apricot shades
• Unique narrow, upright form to 2 feet tall, perfect for small spaces
• Blooms through summer and into fall
• Flowers turn into seed heads adored by song birds
• Very easy to grow – a perfect plant for beginners and children

The Fresco™ Apricot Echinacea will flower profusely if you plant it out in the full sun. It will grow in just about any well-drained soil, including drier, sandy and rocky soils, as well as rich garden-bed soil. Water new plants regularly while it develops the drought and heat tolerance it is famous for. Plants given some water and fertilizer will bloom for longer, and produce more flowers. No need for staking, and don’t dead-head – birds love the seeds. It isn’t eaten by deer or rabbits, and really has no pests or diseases of any importance. Cut back to a few inches tall at some point before new growth appears in spring – don’t be impatient, like many late-bloomers, it takes its time to wake up in spring.