Echinacea Sombrero® Sangrita

Echinacea Sombrero® Sangrita: Starts Orange, Finishes Fiery Red

Opens orange and ages to warm red, like somebody who blushes a little more with every drink at the office party. This coneflower has glossy dark leaves, a dark cone and NOTHING TO APOLOGIZE FOR.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Echinacea hybrid 'Balsomanita'
• Common Name: Coneflower
• Series: Sombrero®, a Proven Winners® perennial
• Height: 46–56 cm (18–22 in)
• Spread: 56–61 cm (22–24 in)
• Flowers: Orange petals that mature to warm red, around a dark cone
• Bloom Time: Early to late summer (June to September)
• Foliage: Dark green and glossy, on an upright clump
• Features: Salt tolerant, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Plant it at the front or middle of a sunny border, in groups for a big splash, or as a filler in a large container. It tolerates salt and hot, windy spots, which is handy near a driveway.

Companion Plants: Use 'Sangrita' in a sunny, dry bed with pink in spring, cherry pinks and lavender-blue hyssop. Aubrieta 'Rock On Pink' carpets the front at 10 to 15 cm with bright pink flowers from April to June. Dianthus Fruit Punch® 'Maraschino' adds double cherry-red pinks at 23 to 28 cm from June to August. Agastache foeniculum brings lavender-blue anise hyssop at 60 to 120 cm from July to September. Miscanthus sinensis 'Adagio' rises at 120 to 150 cm with very narrow, silvery blades.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in average, well-drained soil. It also tolerates poor soil. Keep it out of spots where water pools in winter. Water regularly the first season, then only in long dry spells. Deadhead to keep the colour coming. Leave the last flower heads standing for winter and the birds, then cut the stems back in early spring. Divide in spring if the clump gets crowded.

History: The Sombrero® series was developed by Darwin Perennials to produce compact, well-branched coneflowers that flower heavily, and Sangrita takes its name from the Mexican drink. Its Echinacea ancestors grow wild across the prairies of central North America.

Final Thoughts: Salt spray, dry spells, curious deer? None of it registers. PUT IT BY THE ROAD AND LET IT HANDLE THE TRAFFIC.