Echinacea, Hybrid Coneflower 'Hot Summer'

Great coneflower. Gets really tall and puts it flowers quickly in the spring.

I have sort of a love-hate relationship with coneflowers. I hear they are super tough and easy to grow, but I don't generally have good ...Read Moreluck with them. This one, however, has greatly exceeded my expectations. This is their second summer in my garden, and they're huge and blooming like crazy. The flowers really do change color, from yellow to peach, to orange, to red/dark pink. The overall effect is really pretty.
Summer of 2012 - aster yellows was rampant in Minnesota this year and I pulled out most of my echinacea. I then visited a local nursery and was told that they had their coneflowers checked for the virus, and despite the appearance of the coneflowers they were virus-free. Drought apparently has a very similar effect (misshapen and discolored blossoms). So I have left my Hot Summer in the garden and will watch them for signs of aster yellows next summer.

I'm in AZ and in the summer heat the yellow/orange color lasts for a few hours only and then the flower fades to a dusty rose color. In t...Read Morehe colder months however, the flowers start out yellow and slowly change to orange, then apricot and finally to a beautiful crimson red that's very hard to photograph. I have mine planted in lightly amended clay and so far it's doing great. Very fragrant too!

The Coneflower ‘Hot Summer’ Echinacea is a new style of coneflower. The flowers on this plant open a bright, sunny yellow, changing t...Read Moreo brilliant scarlet as the bloom matures. The result is a veritable collage of multi-colored blossoms that harmonize eautifully, sometimes all on the same plant at the same time