Echinacea paradoxa

Echinacea paradoxa: The Coneflower That Broke Ranks in Yellow

A coneflower that came out yellow when everybody else in the family went purple. Bright yellow drooping petals hang around a dark chocolate-brown cone. THE BLACK SHEEP OF THE CONEFLOWERS, AND WE MEAN THAT AS THE HIGHEST COMPLIMENT.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Echinacea paradoxa
• Common Name: Yellow Coneflower, Ozark Coneflower
• Height: 75–90 cm (30–36 in) in flower, with foliage about 45 cm (18 in)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowers: Bright yellow, long, drooping petals around a dark chocolate-brown cone, one flower per stem
• Bloom Time: Early to late summer (June to August)
• Foliage: Long, narrow, smooth green leaves
• Features: Seeds feed goldfinches, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Use it in prairie gardens, meadow plantings, dry borders and pollinator gardens. The stems are slender and may lean, so plant it in groups of three or more or among sturdy neighbours. The long-stemmed flowers are good for cutting.

Companion Plants: Aster 'Purple Dome' makes a tidy 45 to 60 cm mound of purple flowers from August to October, picking up as the yellow coneflowers finish. Pennisetum 'Little Bunny' adds a small, soft grass at the front that flowers from August to October. Lavandula 'Hidcote Superior' brings purple spikes from June to September. Yellow and purple look great together in full sun.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average to lean, well-drained soil. It grows wild on rocky limestone glades, so it doesn't mind alkaline soil, and it hates wet feet. Water through the first season, then only in a serious drought. It has a deep taproot, so plant it where it will stay. Moving or dividing a mature plant rarely goes well. Deadhead if you like, but leave the late seed heads for the finches and for winter interest. Cut back in early spring.

History: Yellow coneflower grows wild only on limestone and dolomite glades and rocky prairies of the Ozarks in Missouri and Arkansas. Its name paradoxa refers to the puzzle of a yellow flower in a genus of purples and pinks, and it became a parent of many of today's yellow, orange and red hybrid coneflowers.

Final Thoughts: Plant it among the purple ones and enjoy the awkward family photo. THE PARADOX IS THAT IT FITS IN PERFECTLY.