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ECHINACEA
RENAISSANCE
A BREAK WITH THE PAST. A new set of rules. A higher bar. This describes the state of Echinaceas today. Led by series like the Kismet and Sombrero, the modern coneflower is nothing like the one we sold a decade ago. Now there are more vibrant colors, more stems, longer seasons, bigger flowers, and better lifespans. This jump in quality is the result of less focus on the flower alone and more attention to the overall plant. Renaissance breeding doesn’t stop with one or two breeders. The definition of success for the entire Echinacea category has shifted. Our new introductions include many improvements, not just one or two interesting features.
Understanding Our Echinaceas
Many, many cultivars of Echinacea are sold on the market. When choosing varieties we focus on key features we admire, not just one but several. Bundled together, they make a plant garden worthy and desirable. We must want to grow it in our own gardens, and we often do.
The Kismet Series
Kismets are best-known for their five-inch blooms and the tall, bushy stance of their plants. Because the entire Kismet series was developed from a single breeding program, varieties are remarkably consistent in height and habit. The Kismets also wrap all the Renaissance traits into a single package: multi-floral crowns, robust plants, vibrant color, long seasons, and a longer lifespan.
The Sombrero Series
Sombrero is focused on providing a wider range of colors and continuously improving its stock. ‘Sombrero Yellow Improved’, for example, is the finest single yellow on the market right now. As a series, Sombreros are shorter and tighter in habit and they bloom with a three-inch flower. They also have more variation among their heights and habits.
Doubles & Semi-Doubles
Echinaceas develop into doubles when the quills of the central cone mutate into petals instead. The result is a fuzzy pom-pom style of bloom with the ring petals drooping underneath. Then there is ‘Delicious Candy’, whose quills in the central cone are actually immature petals.
The Short Ones
Over the decades, the average height of Echinaceas has shortened and tightened. ‘Kim’s Knee High’ used to be promoted as the short one. We now sell it as a coneflower of medium height. Recent breeding has introduced several very short coneflowers.
Sombrero Poco Hot Coral
‘Hot Coral’ was always the smallest of the Sombrero series. Darwin has paired it with a yellow to create a dwarf line of Echinacea. Rebranded as ‘Sombrero Poco Hot Coral’, it’s the same plant with a new name.
Sombrero Poco Yellow
This Echinacea launches the Poco subbrand of Sombreros, focusing on short and compact plants. Flower width is roughly the same as a full-sized Sombrero, but the plant is several shorter and more narrow in shape.
Tweety
The Bicolors
Butterfly Yellow Rainbow Marcella
Fiery Meadow Mama
Playful Meadow Mama
Green Twister
The Mixes
Classics You Remember
Big Sky Solar Flare
Big Sky Sundown
Kim's Knee High
Magnus
Pica Bella
