Echinacea Sombrero® Baja Burgundy

Echinacea Sombrero® Baja Burgundy: Burgundy Blooms Dressed for Dinner

Deep burgundy petals around a big brown cone, like a glass of good red with a chocolate on the side. This coneflower is the dinner guest who brings the expensive bottle and DOESN'T MAKE A BIG DEAL ABOUT IT.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Echinacea hybrid 'Balsombabur'
• Common Name: Coneflower
• Series: Sombrero®, a Proven Winners® perennial
• Height: 46–56 cm (18–22 in)
• Spread: 56–61 cm (22–24 in)
• Flowers: Deep burgundy petals around a large brown cone, about 7.5 cm (3 in) across
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall (July to September)
• Foliage: Rich dark green, on a compact, well-branched plant
• Features: Salt tolerant, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Use it at the front or middle of a sunny border, in mass plantings, in a prairie-style bed or in a big pot. It tolerates salt and hot, windy spots, which helps along a driveway or a city boulevard.

Companion Plants: Use 'Baja Burgundy' in a sunny, dry bed with giant purple alliums, gold sedum and creamy pea flowers. Sedum kamtschaticum carpets the front at 10 to 15 cm with golden stars from June to August. Allium 'Ambassador' opens giant purple globes at 90 to 120 cm in May and June. Baptisia Decadence® 'Vanilla Cream' brings creamy white spikes at 76 to 91 cm in June. Festuca 'Boulder Blue' edges the bed with fine blue tufts at 20 to 30 cm.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in average, well-drained soil. Avoid spots where water sits in winter, a common problem in heavy clay. Water regularly the first season, then only during long dry spells. Deadhead to keep it blooming. In fall, leave some seed heads standing for winter structure and for goldfinches, then cut the stems back in early spring. Divide in spring only if the clump becomes crowded.

History: Sombrero® Baja Burgundy was bred by Darwin Perennials and named a 2020 All-America Selections Herbaceous Perennial National Winner. Judges trialled it over three winters and noted its hardiness, sturdy branching and heavy bloom.

Final Thoughts: Salt, drought and deer don't faze it. PLANT IT AND PRETEND YOU'VE ALWAYS HAD THIS MUCH TASTE.