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Plant Patent #18,617.

How fortunate we are to be gardening during this explosion of Echinacea breeding! 'Coconut Lime' is the newest and most exciting cultivar yet. Combining white, pale green, and rich amber-brown, they have a tropical appeal, and will appear profusely over a long season in the sunny garden. There is no more distinctive Echinacea to grow, not only for this season but for many years to come.

The lower circle of petals are long, slender, and merrily notched at the tips. They are held straight down, forming a lovely "hula skirt" below the large pompon of pale green and brown. The pompon itself is composed of very short, notched, super-abundant petals held straight out for a full, deep effect. The blooms begin somewhat daisy-shaped, then elongate into giant gumballs as they mature. And the central brown cone is small and distinctive, giving the 'Coconut' its name!

For all the petal strength of these flowers, however, they appear just as profusely as the plain old single Purple Coneflowers of yore. Expect them to begin in midsummer and to continue well into fall, carrying the border through its late-season doldrums without pause. A "cut-and-come-again" perennial, 'Coconut Lime' will sport new buds all the quicker if you cut or deadhead the first blooms promptly. And at the height of the season, expect about 2 dozen flowers open at once on a single plant!

The blooms are carried on thick, sturdy 10-inch stems, which themselves rise above the 22-inch-tall plant to serve as landing pads for butterflies and bees early in the season, songbirds later in autumn when the central seed-filled cones dry deliciously. The stems are perfect for cutting, and 'Coconut Lime' makes long-lasting flowers for the vase or for Everlastings. Understated and sweet, their scent is easier to appreciate in the vase, though a large stand of blooming plants in the garden also have a high-summer sweet fragrance.

This plant reaches just 18 to 24 inches high, quite compact for an Echinacea. Like most other cultivars of this native species, it flourishes in most conditions, tolerating cold, heat, humidity, poor soil, and even drought. The first season, pamper it to get its root system established in the garden; after that, let it go. It will continue to thrive and bloom profusely in any well-drained, moist garden soil for many years to come. Zones 3-9.