Quilled and Fluted Petals!
An Utterly Unique Look for a Familiar Favorite
Plant Patent Applied For. The only one of its kind in the world, 'All That Jazz' takes the traditional Coneflower and transforms it into a designer delight with elegantly rolled, quilled petals! As if they were giant drinking straws, the long petals encourage hummingbirds and butterflies to sip, their tips open and fluted. Presenting a slender silhouette, these blooms look unlike any other, yet the plant is just as hardy, adaptable, and easy to grow as its less dressed-up cousins. The flowers begin in midsummer, the petals widely spaced around a prominent central cone of amber-brown. Very long-lasting, they are useful in fresh and dried arrangements, but also add considerable presence to the sunny garden, their color and subtle fragrance drawing visitors to come admire them at closer range. And because Echinacea is a "cut-and-come-again" plant, the more long-stemmed blooms you pick for the vase, the faster new buds arise! The bloom season continues through late summer, and into fall in warmer climates. After the last petals drop from the blooms, the magnificent cones punctuate the fall garden, their seeds providing a late-season feast for songbirds. Leave them on the plant and they will even sculpt the first snowfall, standing out like drumsticks in the winter landscape. 'All That Jazz' reaches 2 1/2 to 3 feet high in bloom, and up to 2 feet wide. It loves sun and well-drained soil a bit on the dry side. Once established in your garden, it puts up with heat, humidity, cold, and even drought without stress; it can also thrive in poor infertile soils, though the best flowering is in ordinary garden soil. A native perennial, it is untroubled by most pests and diseases, attracting only the "good ones" -- bees, butterflies, hummers, and songbirds! -- into the garden. If you love Echinacea, try pairing 'All That Jazz' with 'Fancy Frills, another interesting new look in petal form. Scabiosa and Coreopsis are among the reliable garden companions to Echinacea, requiring the same growth conditions and just as easy to cultivate. Create a very low-maintenance xeriscapic border with these fine perennials! Zones 4-8.
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