-
Echinacea purpurea 'PowWow Wild Berry'
$9.95 ea
-
Echinacea purpurea 'Green Jewel' PP#18,678
$15.95 ea
-
Echinacea x 'Hot Papaya' PP#21,022
$18.95 ea
-
Echinacea 'Gemini Pink' PPAF
$14.95 ea
-
Syringa 'Tinkerbelle' PP#12,294
As low as $18.95 ea
Echinacea 'Solar Flare'
Very compact and long-blooming, it's the latest innovation in Echinacea breeding!
Is there no end to the improvements to be made in Echinacea?! 'Solar Flare' seems to have them all -- a brand-new flower color that can only be described as electric kool-aid red, a huge brown cone, a super-compact habit, and an ultra-long season of bloom. To be any better, it would have to be made of plastic!
These blooms earn their name with every neon-bright petal! Deep scarlet-red toward the base and magenta toward the tip, they are held straight out around a giant dark brown cone. Butterflies and bees rush to pay their respects, while pests and disease keep clear of this vigorous, low maintenance plant. Expect the blooms to begin in early summer in most climates and to continue well into fall!
And 'Solar Flare' is far more neat and compact than Echinaceas of yore. This plant reaches only 24 to 36 inches high, with terrific branching and plenty of flowering stems. The spread is about 18 to 24 inches, small enough for those tight garden spaces. The dark stems on which the flowers are borne add another bit of interest to the display, standing out nicely from the olive-green foiage.
'Solar Flare' was bred by Richard Saul of Georgia, developer of the Big Sky™ and 'Crazy" Echinacea series. You can count on it for vigor and reliability, season after season!
Try combining 'Solar Flare' with other low-maintenance sun lovers in the border, cottage garden, or meadow. It makes a good friend to Coreopsis, as well as 48460">Buddleia and Scabiosa. Give it a whirl this season, and we predict that by fall you'll be selecting plants specifically to combine with it! Zones 4-8.
| Genus | Echinacea |
| Variety | 'Solar Flare' |
| Bloom Season | Early Summer - Mid Fall |
| Habit | Compact |
| Zone | 4 - 8 |
| Plant Height | 24 in - 3 ft |
| Plant Width | 18 in - 24 in |
| Item Form | 4-inch Pot |
| Additional Characteristics | Bird Lovers, Bloom First Year, Butterfly Lovers, Cut-and-Come-Again, Easy Care Plants, Flower, Free Bloomer, Long Bloomers, Native, Repeat Bloomer, Rose Companions |
| Bloom Color | Dark Pink, Light Magenta, Red |
| Foliage Color | Olive Green |
| Light Requirements | Full Sun |
| Moisture Requirements | Dry, Moist, well-drained |
| Resistance | Cold Hardy, Deer Resistance, Disease Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Heat Tolerant, Humidity Tolerant, Pest Resistant |
| Soil Tolerance | Clay, Normal, loamy, Poor |
| Uses | Border, Containers, Cut Flowers, Outdoor |
| Restrictions | CAN, HI, PR |
- Butterflies like a lot of sunlight, so locate your garden in a sunny area.
- If you live in a windy location, plant your butterfly-attracting plants near a building, fence, or hedge to protect them.
- Plant a variety of nectar-rich plants, as well as shrubs and evergreens for shelter.
- Since many butterflies and native flowering plants have co-evolved, try to put in some that are native to your area. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center provides lists of plants native to states and regions.
- Certain colors are particularly attracting to butterflies – red, yellow, pink, purple, or orange blooms that are clustered or flat-topped, with a short flower tubes are especially attractive to adult butterflies.
- Avoid using pesticides, especially around nectar-producing plants.
- Provide a shallow source of water – try a birdbath with pebbles lining the bowl.
- Place a rock in a sunny spot for butterfly basking and resting.
- Create a "puddling area" by digging a shallow hole filled with compost or manure where rainwater will collect and release essential salts and minerals.
- If you want butterflies to breed in your garden, put in some caterpillar food plants, such as parsley, milkweeds, asters, thistles, violets, clover, grasses, and Queen Anne’s Lace.
- Since butterflies need nectar throughout the entire adult phase of their lives, try to create a design that will allow for a continuous bloom – when one stops blooming, another starts.
