Survival of the Echinacea Hybrids

Don't get too attached to Echinacea "After Midnight". This hybrid might not survive the winter.

The species Echinacea purpurea is ubiquitous in many parts of North America. It is so hardy that it can be found in cold Northern Ontario. Once it is planted in the garden, it makes itself at home, forever. It is a reliable plant because it will thrive in spite of neglect. It naturalizes so easily that some gardeners think it’s a pretty weed worth keeping.

The Echinacea hybrids, on the other hand are a totally different story. Most of them are not hardy in their first season. They require hardening and pampering. Once they become established they will perform as promised but, unlike the mother species E. purpurea, they have a life span of only 8 years. The one positive characteristic attributable to this collection of cultivars is the magnificent array of colors that have been bred into them.

Some gardeners have become frustrated by the finicky performance of these bred perennials. To avoid disappointment they have begun to treat the hybrids as annuals. Growers understand that a dismal track record will hurt sales of these cultivars so they now educate nursery owners on proper care to ensure longevity. While not all of the advice is pertinent to the private gardener, here is what you need to know:-

• If you are buying an Echinacea hybrid, make sure that the plant gets into the ground in the earlier half of the summer. Growers recommend that July be the cut off date for planting. Don’t listen to them. I garden in Zone 5 and have lost 50 % of the new Echinacea hybrids that I planted in July.  Those that were planted in May and June have survived the winter. Those that were planted later, or that were moved around during the growing season, did not survive.
• Plant in a location that has excellent drainage, not just good drainage. Echinacea hybrid roots will rot in wet soil.
• Avoid clay soil. Just because the species E. purpurea is not fussy about its growing medium does not mean that the hybrids are just as adaptable; They are not.
• Do not permit the flowers to bloom in the first season. Yes, it’s that serious! Cut off all blooms in the months following the planting. This perennial needs all of its energy to grow a deep tap root in order to overwinter successfully. Enjoy the flower next year.

A deeply embedded tap root is the key to success in growing Echinacea hybrids. A new plant will require an entire season growing in well drained soil to reach that goal. If meeting that condition is not a realistic expectation, purchase the desired hybrid in the largest-sized pot offered [in order to ensure flowering] and then treat the hybrid as an annual.

Knautia Macedonia

A new color is gaining favor in my gardens. I planted a few dark red perennials this past summer and I am pleased with their performance. They seem to integrate well into most color schemes. Knautia  macedonia is one of those perennials.

The scabiosa-like, pin cushion heads of this flower bloom in a color that is rarely seen in the perennial garden: dark but vivid cherry-red. The flowers are double, dense, measure about one inch in diameter and hold their color well, even when dried. This plant has a very long blooming season that extends into late fall. Individual flowers, though, last only two weeks and then transform themselves into spherical seed-heads. These enhance the overall look of the plant and provide food for birds, bees and dragonflies. Dead-heading should be avoided because this perennial needs to self-seed. It is a short lived perennial and naturalization through self propagation will ensure longevity in the garden.

This photo is supplied by Jardins Michel CorbeilThe plant spreads out from a central clump into a broad, chalice-shaped bush while each shoot branches again and again to form a broad wiry network of stems. Every shoot and side-shoot terminates in a flower. Established plants produce literally hundreds in a season. The basal leaves of this plant reach 2 to 3 feet in height and width, which explains why some gardeners describe this plant as round, neat and bushy. Don't believe it! The wiry flower stems can reach 6 feet high and have a tendency to sprawl.

What is interesting about the sprawl is how the airy network of stems allow the flowers to insinuate themselves into neighboring plants without being pesty. The resulting unplanned composition is not neat but it is not messy either. It works well as a casual English garden look. Include this interesting intrusion when planning the garden.

Knautia may develop powdery mildew when grown in congestion. It is important, to allow air to circulate around it. The surrounding empty spaces that are reserved for this ventilation also serve as a second home for the sprawling stems. Knautia needs sunshine but will tolerate a little shade. It also requires good drainage. Once established as a sturdy clump, it will remain fairly drought tolerant with occasional deep watering.  It is hardy from zones 5 to 9.

Coreopsis Big Bang Red Shift

This photo is the copyright of Sunny Border Nursery.Most Coreopsis perennials have difficulty surviving winter regardless of the hardiness zone they grow in. Imagine the excitement when a new cultivar was introduced this spring to change that. Red Shift, part of the Big Bang series, promised to be winter hardy. And there was more: The flowers would be large, and eventually would bloom in red. And there was still more: The color of this plant would shift from cream to red as the season changed from summer into fall. All that buzz made me grab several pots of this plant when I found them at the nursery. Apart from its other attributes, a red Coreopsis is a rare find.

In early summer, the flowers open in a creamy yellow. Each bloom has a gold button center that is ringed with ruby-red where the petals meet the gold. As the plant matures, the color shifts. On later-opening flowers, the red ring streaks towards the outer tips of the petals. Finally, in cooler weather, newer flowers appear with another color shift that turns them ruby-red. Because this is a long blooming plant, it is possible to have three different versions of the colorations on one plant at the same time. So unique is this phenomenon that no two flowers of this perennial ever look alike. The above image from Sunny Border Nursery aptly illustrates all of the variations.

I am so pleased with the Red Shifts that I planted. This perennial is more than just eye-catching. Every flower bed is enhanced by its presence. In most cases the plant blooms reasonably upright. Unfortunately, the one that I saved for myself was a bit leggy and kneeled towards the sun after it was planted. Being the eternal optimist, I would like to think that this occurred because the plants at the nursery were too crowded and had begun crawling in search of light. Those growing in my clients’ gardens are more upright but not soldier-like. Coreopsis are sun worshippers so one expects that they will bow to reach for the sun.

This new variety will grow 30 to 36 inches in height with an 18 inch spread. As Coreopsis go, the flowers are huge, measuring 2 inches across. This is a floriferous plant, a heavy bloomer from early spring until fall. Of course, deadheading improves the continuity of bloom. The plant is hardy from zones 4 to 8 and I can hardly wait until spring to test its touted hardiness. It prefers sun, a well drained soil and is drought tolerant. It attracts butterflies as well. Above all, its unusual color variations allow it to blend easily into most gardens. I didn’t expect red to work in my English style gardens, but it did. The cream coloration made it happen.

Front Garden Entryways

This image accompanied the text of the magazine article titled "Design an Engaging Entryway" that I received on line from "finegardening.com" A very well crafted article about front yard garden entryways arrived in an on-line newsletter on October 19, 2009. Titled “Design an Engaging Entryway”, it was sent by Fine Gardening Magazine.  As a topic of interest, the front entry garden is a polyvalent subject and writing about it requires great organizational skills. I was impressed how admirably the author tackled it and how adaptable the advice turned out to be.

This article is about making a good first impression:-. drawing attention to the garden entryway of the home, the use of ornamental plants for winter interest, how to make the entry appealing by using archways, double rows of flower beds and the placement of unique objects that define the home owner.

However, the author also touches on a controversial issue in the subtitle:-“A front yard should ….reflect who you are”. I have my reservations about that advice especially when it empowers gardeners to plant messy cottage gardens in full view of the neighbors.

Let’s go back to when it all began: The misguided philosophy “Do Your Own Thing” dates back to the 1970’s. A social revolution took place during that period that resulted in the discarding of many societal conventions that had been hypocritically adhered to. Some of the derision was justified but it went too far. It encouraged the display of personal bad taste in the name of self expression.

The lowering of community standards extended to gardens as well. A messy cottage garden, especially one that was flaunted in public, became the statement of the liberated gardener. Much to the dismay of neighbors, it is today still considered a bold and defiant personal expression. However, such a front yard garden adds nothing to the value or appearance of a property; nor is it inviting. It would be better situated in a back or side yard, where only the home owner can justify its existence.

A front yard garden must respect the design of the home even in the depths of winter, when nothing is in bloom. It should enhance a property, not devalue it. And above all, it should welcome guests with beauty. The personality of the homeowner may be reflected in the assiduous selection of plants, by unusual combinations of color, shape and texture and by the creative placement of hard objects. Thanks, Fine Gardening, for inadvertently raising a controversial topic. It certainly was an inspiration for this garden writer to make a bold and defiant personal expression.

Meet a Talented Deziner

This photo is taken from Michelle's "Raised Flower Beds" collection.

When planning a color scheme for a garden, one should always consider the hard elements that make up part of the landscape. Collectively know as hardscape, these include paving stones, boulders, fences, fountains, gravel paths, retaining walls, walkways, pergolas, archways, arbors, garden sculptures, swimming pools and large decorative urns. All bring color and surface texture to a garden, usually in neutral tones. Do not overlook them because, when used creatively, they enhance colors found in nature.

Here is a photo, by the talented "garden sculptor" Michelle aka "Deviant Deziner” and posted to her blog site Garden Porn. The light, bright shade of grey used for the stones of the retaining wall enhances the strong pink flowers as well as the lime Hosta, making both of them appear more vibrant. The right shade of red flowers would have looked almost as striking against this cleverly chosen stone color.

By the way, the title of Michelle’s blog camouflages an extraordinary talent. When you visit her site you will be amazed at the scope of her work, "sculpting" gardens, that she captures so beautifully in striking photographs. I hope that, in the future, she will allow me to use more of these wondrous pictures to illustrate some of the themes that I enjoy writing about.