Echinacea
Common Name
Coneflower
Cultivars
The Secrest Select coneflowers are the top performing cultivars from a 3-year evaluation of over 100 varieties at Secrest Arboretum. Information about the trial can be found at https://secrest.osu.edu/research/echinacea-trial. This group is represented by the highest rated cultivar in each of five flower color categories:
- Pink/Purple: Echinacea Butterfly™ ‘Purple Emperor’
- Orange: Echinacea Sombrero® Hot Coral (‘Balsomcor’)
- White: Echinacea ‘White Fascinator’
- Yellow: Echinacea Prairie Pillars™ ‘Leilani’
- Red: Echinacea Sombrero® Baja Burgundy (‘Balsombabur’)
Family
Asteraceae
Tree or plant type / form
Perennial
Landscape Use
This is a popular and long-blooming perennial for use in formal borders or groupings, native or pollinator gardens, meadows, and other naturalized areas.
Season of interest and/or other ornamental feature(s)
Colorful, long-lasting blooms from mid to late summer.
Size at Landscape Maturity
Varies by cultivar; generally 1.5 to 3 feet tall with a similar spread.
Light exposure
Full sun to part shade
USDA Hardiness zone
3 – 8
Origin / Native Locale
These coneflower varieties represent cultivated hybrids of several species native to the central and eastern United States.
Wildlife Value (incl. pollinators)
The flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and other pollinators, and these varieties all attracted various pollinators during the course of the Secrest Arboretum trial. Other cultivars, especially those exhibiting a “double” or pom-pom inflorescence, were noted as being less attractive to pollinators. Songbirds, especially American goldfinches, eat the seeds.
Tolerances
Tolerant of clay soil, heat and drought; rarely browsed by rabbits or deer.
Leaf Description
3 to 8 inch long alternate, simple, dark green, scabrous leaves.
Cone / Fruit
Seeds are small, dark, 4-sided achenes that are attractive to birds.
Flower Description
The flowers of Echinacea are a composite inflorescence with spiny disc florets forming the central “cone” surrounded by showy ray florets in a variety of colors, from pink and white to shades of yellow, orange and red. These daisy-like blooms can reach 3 inches in diameter in some cultivars.
Bloom Time in Northeast Ohio
Varies by cultivar; generally late June through August
Available at
Secrest Plant Sales and selected local nurseries
Medium green trifoliate leaves (leaflets to 3″ long) turn vibrant shades of orange to red in autumn.
Bloom Time in Northeast Ohio
Mid April
Flower Description
Greenish-yellow flowers appear before the leaves in clusters of three. As with most maples, the flowers are not showy.
Cone / Fruit
Fruit are winged seeds in pairs (samaras), which are 1 inch long and fuzzy.
Available at
Secrest Arboretum Plant Discovery Days and selected local nurseries
Use the Secrest Aboretum Explorer to find locations where this plant is located on the Wooster campus.
For more varieties, use the Search function on the Secrest Aboretum Explorer’s page and type in your selection
