I have several Sundown's that have turned purple and others have turned white. First I thought I was crazy and seeing things, but I definitely am not, they're now purple coneflowers and white coneflowers! I feel so disappointed and cheated, my once beautiful oranges I spent extra money on are now just the same old purple ones you find everywhere!
I don't know the ins and outs of pollination, but does this have something to do with it?
Can someone explain to me why my Sundowns are now purple?
I bet your original plants died and these are seedlings that have come up. Since these don't normally come true from seeds, that would be the reason.
You know, I purchased 2 gallon-sized Sundown at a wholesale club. I already got a couple of them but for $5 a gallon I thought it was a great deal. The tag clearly says 'Sundown' with a description of 'bold orange blossoms'. It was not flowering at that time.
Planted them, grew so healthy, and guess what - PURPLE flowers!
echinaceamaniac - Thanks. I know I had 7 in that one area and I dug almost all of them out in spring and relocated them into my veggie garden while I amended the soil. ALL of them are either now purple or white. I can't believe I lost all the original plants and all I have left are seedlings but I suppose it may be possible - but some are good sized plants and appear to be the originals. I do know for a fact some of the small ones are seedlings which I can understand those being purple.
The other thing is, is that my neighbor said the same thing. She has Harvest Moon and one of the oranges from Big Sky and hers are fading and turning more purple.
I still have several in my front yard that are orange although one seems to be very faded and wanting to be purple - although the leaves on that one don't look well, as if the leaves have a "sunburn" - possibly diseased?
Tex - Don't ya just hate that? You think you're getting the pretty orange and you end up with the ordinary stuff. You wonder if that was just a mislabeling at the grower or what.
I don't know if it was mislabeling. Both plants turned out purple. I complained about it, and they want me to dig them up and return them. For $5, the plants are healthy with so many blooms, I didn't want to be bothered.
But then, I learned when it comes to the Big Sky Series - buy them at your own risk!
These Big Sky plants should have a warning label..."May cause stress and ruin you Echinacea bed!"
when you say "turned purple..and white"... are saying they are blooming that way? or they are all fading to those colors?
Nevermore - They bloomed purple and white. Last year they bloomed orange and this year, bloomed purple and white - these are in the backyard.
I have more in the frontyard and those are still orange except for one where the leaves look "sunburned" and is fading to pink.
I was just curious that if there are purple coneflower planted in the neighborhood - such as in my neighbor's yard - if the bees pollinating would make them revert.
I think maniac is right. They are just seeds that dropped to the ground from your hybrids and have grown in their place. I have a couple of hybrids that now have new plants growing right next to them. I'm waiting for them to bloom to see if they are just spreading or if they are seedlings from the existing hybrid.
Thanks everyone. I was out there today weeding around that area and examined everything closer. Now I think you're right about them being seedlings. I thought they were still the original plants but most of them are small so are probably the seedlings. I only have one orange left and it's small. Such a shame. I need to go the post about the reliables and replant that area with them.
Here's a photo of one of the two I bought labeled as 'Sundown'.
The blooms are really pink instead of purplish with a different shape than the regular coneflowers. Also the petals don't droop like the regular ones.
I'm just wondering what kind are these.
It looks like one called Prairie Splendor that someone was showing me yesterday.
Thanks Maniac! If indeed it's Prairie Splendor, for $5, I'm not complaining. At least I got another variety.
I was at Brock Garden World here in Jersey today checking out their sale. When they go on sale, most time it seems like they're just giving stuff away.
Well, no sale on the echies, and whatever they have I have them already. They got Sundowns on 2-gallon containers for $12.99 and they were flowering. The blooms were gorgeous BUT I wasn't tempted to purchase them this time.
Also they got Pink DD in 2-gallon containers for also $12.99. That's a 2-gallon container! Meanwhile last spring I purchased PDD plugs at $8-9 per plug. And purchased more at Lowe's a month ago at $12.99 a gallon.
I'm wanting some more Pink Double Delights. I love that one. I think it would be cool to plant a bed with nothing but double Echies. I would plant all the Pink and White ones together. If I keep coming up with new ideas I will never live to see them all completed!
I had been thinking of only double Echinacea's all in one area also. The two that seem like they would look very good together are Coconut Lime and Pink Double Delight. If I was to add a third into the mix it would be Meringue or possibly Milkshake. It just seems like a good mix when imagining it in my head.
I really don't like pink flowers, but I'll bet the Pink Poodle would look awesome with Hot Papaya, lots of them in the same bed. It would be a sea of pink and red. Nice!
am wanting to replace the pink and white delphs I have in a bed out back with some of the new tall doubles. Looking for good sized 'Gun Drop' and 'Milkshake' a pink and a white large double for next spring if I can find them.