Hey. I have a bed I'd like to kinda stair-step down from tallest to smallest with coneflowers and daisy type flowers only. Mainly coneflowers, but Shasta Daisys and Black-eyed susans are acceptable as well. I have 4-5 Purple coneflowers in the back and a couple of the big sky series mixed about in there. I don't know how they are going to perform, this will be their first year. I'm planning on finding a Coconut Lime to purchase this year.
This bed get full sun and GA is in a drought. I will supplement water on odd days for 20 minutes. It is in the front yard, so I'd like a long bloom season.
Can y'all recommend some tried and true, colorful coneflowers by height?
Do y'all deadhead for more flowers, or leave them on until winter? (That's what I've been doing, but someone told me I could get more blooms it I cut the flowers)
Thanks!
"Stair stepping" a bed of cone flowers-recommendations
Sounds like a lovely idea. In my gardens, the tallest is Magnus. An oldie, but a goodie, lol! I mix it with White Swan which seems pretty close in height. Having said that, they do get some shade during the day here. I also have some regular old hand me down shastas that bloomed pretty much the whole summer and were about that height.
I did faithfully deadhead the shastas since they spread well without needing to reseed. I have dhed echies. They produce more blooms, but they were smaller. I personally don't since they reseed better than they sew and the goldfinches adore the seeds. I interplant with other things so that it's not distracting. Maybe Rudbeckia triloba would do well.
Kim's Knee High did well for me and is shorter along with daisy 'Goldraucsh' (sp?)
Coconut Lime is one of those that would be in the middle somewhere. I didn't have as much luck with that one in the baking sun, but am willing to try it again sometime, lol!
Hope there's much more info to come for you!
Bev
Echinacea Tennesseensis would be excellent for the front. It is shorter than the others and easy to grow from seeds.