Echinacea KISMET® 'Pink Lemonade'

Echinacea KISMET® 'Pink Lemonade': Pink Petals With Lemon-Dipped Tips

Pink petals dipped in lemon-yellow at the tips, like somebody spilled their drink and made it look intentional. 'Pink Lemonade' is a stand that never closes and charges the bees nothing. FRESHLY SQUEEZED ALL SUMMER.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Echinacea hybrid 'TNECHKPL'
• Common Name: Coneflower
• Series: KISMET®, from Terra Nova® Nurseries
• Height: 35–45 cm (14–18 in)
• Spread: 25–30 cm (10–12 in)
• Flowers: Pink petals with soft lemon-yellow tips around a dark cone
• Bloom Time: Early summer to fall (June to October)
• Foliage: Dark green, in a compact, rounded clump
• Features: Long-lasting blooms, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Its small size makes it a natural for the front of a border, a rock garden edge or a pot on a sunny patio. Plant it in groups of three or five so the two-tone flowers read from a distance. It's also a good choice for small pollinator gardens and balconies, where every plant has to earn its spot.

Companion Plants: Leucanthemum 'Brightside' grows behind at 75 to 80 cm with white daisies from June to September. Centaurea dealbata adds fringed pink flowers in June and July that echo the pink in these bicolour cones. Agastache 'Blue Fortune' carries blue spikes from July to September, a cool counterpoint to warm colours. Full sun keeps all three blooming well.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil. Coneflowers rot in soggy ground, so avoid spots where meltwater pools in spring. Water through its first season, then mainly during dry spells. In containers, check the soil more often in summer heat. Deadhead regularly to keep it blooming, and leave the last seed heads for birds if you like. Cut stems back in early spring. Because the plant is compact, it rarely needs dividing.

History: 'Pink Lemonade' is one of the newer additions to the KISMET® series from Terra Nova® Nurseries in Oregon. The series was built through interspecific breeding for more crowns per plant, more first-year flowers and better overwintering.

Final Thoughts: Set it out where the kids run their sidewalk stand. FINALLY, A STAND THAT TURNS A PROFIT.