Hi Rita - I bought Mac & Cheese, and Tomato soup last spring. First of all, let me just say that the prices on that web site are great!! I paid CA$15 each for the above. I love the Mac & Cheese - fabulous colour; the Tomato Soup underwhelmed me. The petals were very slender. Maybe it will come better this year. I did love some of those on that site. I'll have to see what's around here - maybe see if McGauflins ship to Canada.

Nancy.

I love all the photos of the coneflowers as well -- just wanted to warn you that lots of the new varieties aren't necessarily winter hardy. Aside from documented problems with health/coming true to color or form ... they aren't as winter hardy as claimed. Some perform well. Some perform well in some gardens and not others. In my personal experience, about half die each winter even though they are rated to zone 5. Here they cost $20 which I find too expensive to pay for what turns out to be an annual.

Just a warning though. I truly hope you have much better luck with them than I did/do :)

So far, it looks like Summer Sky and Coconut Lime have died, but Vintage Wine has survived. I've killed Harvest Moon twice in the past. I ordered 2 new ones for this Spring, but if these die that will be the end of it. The old school ones are much hardier!

Rita, I ordered seeds of Echinacea Wild Berry Pow Wow. I hav them winter sown.
http://www.parkseed.com/gardening/PD/0769/
Tammy

I have heard that the newer varieties are not as hardy or easy as the old standbys. I guess there is no way of really knowing how they will do except to plant them in your own garden. McGlauflins is in Maine so I would think that if it grows there it would grow here. But who knows, maybe they are only hardy in a greenhouse LOL :-((

I have had my Kims Knee High for many years and it does fine. We will see how well the red orange varieties do.

I ordered seeds of PowWow Wild Berry too :-)) I just could not resist that one. And its so new I don't know if there will be plants available this year. Its a 2010 intro.

I would be interested to hear if Mac n Cheese overwintered for people -- I love the colour on that one as well, the pictures I've seen, but I held off on buying it because I was afraid it might die like many others. If it is over-wintering for people in colder climates, I'd be very interested to hear it!

Woo!! Strange on-line experience!! I went back through Rita's link to see if McGauflin's shipped to Canada. I ended up in someone else's shopping basket - got outta there quick!! lol. that will be a question for another time.
cziga - both my Tomato Soup and my Mac & cheese are starting to sprout, so I would say they have survived. They are only just behind my purple ditch rescue!! And like I said, Mac & cheese was my fav!!

Nancy.

I have the regular Purple Coneflower, and I love it. I tried White Swan
from local nursery's twice and both times died. Does not get that cold
here usually, so don't know why I can't grow that one. Going to
check out that website and probably order some. Thanks for posting
it Rita.

Linda

Something kind of weird happened to me too. When
I clicked buy now, 2 other echinaceas showed up
that I didn't pick, in my cart. Then at check out
there's an name and address for someone in Conneticut.
You can change the address, but I think I'll wait
for now.

Roper - yes, that's what I got - someone in CT!! I bet there's a very frustrated person trying to order. I think I would be a little worried about using my CC with them online!!

Nancy.

Rita,

Thanks for the link to that site. Oooh my goodness! I love all the yellows, oranges and reds. I have all kinds of purples, pinks and two whites. And some are fragrant too.
Maybe some day I will be able to buy some of them. For now, I can only dream...but that's a good thing too.

~Annie

Rita,
I love Echinaceas too. I have had varying degrees of luck with return, but, to be honest, I think it was as much garden prep (or a lack thereof) when mine didn't do so well.

Last year I planted several of them The double white coconut dreams (or some such), tomato soup (loved it, it was gorgeous here) and double delight. I had planted a number of different ones at times before.

The company I bought from last year sent them very late for Alabama, and they did just fair. I don't think they like a lot of fuss after they are planted. I have several coneflowers up that were planted in several previous years as well, and I plan to add a couple more this year. I've already planted 3 of the Fragrant Angels which I've had before (and lost) I love Rubenstein and Merlot. I've been through the different colors with "moon" in their name. I just like them. I tend to use them to add color where others plants are past blooming.

The echinaceas that did okay last summer are all up and looking good now. (And I am ordering a couple of new ones, but I'll be careful who I buy from - I've never bought from these people, so they may be great, but Garden Gates plants are always wonderful, and American Meadows and High Country Gardens sent fabulous plants, and since I only want a couple, I'll go with one of them.)

Let us know how this company does for you.

kay

kay

Well guys, I recieved a shipment confirmation that my Coneflower order is going out tomorrow. I do have the space ready and I think early planting is deffiately better than late planting (like kay said). I paid for my order with paypal and filled out the password thing to be a returning customer from now on. Had no problems with the shopping cart at all.

I will keep everyone updated on how my new plants do for me. I am hoping they thrive or at least do really well. I have had that Kims Knee High there for years now and it does well, coming up nicely and blooming great each year. However, it has not increased much. After years, I could not divide the plants as there is only slightly more than I started with. Which is why I got some more to add there.

Kay, I have had Rubenstein in the past. Really liked it. Somehow it either died out by itself or was lost in the garden redos around here so I no longer have it.

I think the old one is far hardier than the newbies. I am curious to see what is coming up in the back bed. I rippped all of the purple heart out because it is so invasive, and it had overrun some echinaceas. I planted hot paprika there, and think it died (last fall) but this may be a survivor. I would be very pleased if it is . Of course, I meant Garden Crossings, not Garden Gate. I did order a couple from Garden Crossings, including the Mac and Cheese, so I'll see how that goes.

kay

I'm a newbie to coneflowers; I have a few of the regular purple/pink coneflowers..I can see there are many more varieties out there. I've heard and seen photos of a lot of others. What's different about other varieties other than color? Height? Do all coneflowers/echinaceas require sun only?
Do you save seeds from yours or just let them reseed themselves?

I don't know about the old ones but I doubt that the new colors come true from seed. The new ones are the most fantastic hot colors, not seen in the old days. At least not garden seed as the vaqrieties would deffinately cross pollinate planted next to each other.

I have quite a few of the newer Echinaceas, it looks like mine have all come through the winter, 'Twilight' has the scent of roses, love it. I think the trick is to get them as early as you can in the season so that their roots are established going into the winter. Too wet seems to be the culprit that does some of them in over the winter, if the winter is really wet I tip a gallon pot over the dormant crowns, it works for me.

Annette

Annette,
I agree that they don't like a lot of water. They don't like other plants growing really close to them either. I love the way they look in all the bright colors.
kay

Here is were I am going to plant most of them. Behind the daylilies. In drifts.

{{gwi:656334}}

Please do let us know how the plants are when you receive them! I'd love to order from them but I'm always cautious going with an unknown.

The plants came. They are just marvelous. So very pleased. I don't have time to post pictures because so much to do today but I will take pictures of them before I plant so you can see what came out of the box and after I have them inground.

Good! I'm glad you've found another good seller. Leave ti to Rita!

My friend Beth came over today and brought me a couple dozen little gomphrena plants she had rooted. I will pot them up for a week or so and they will go out in the garden They are lovely little plants and the butterflies and I will be very happy with them.

kay

I don't even know what gomphrena are :-((

I planted all the Echinaceas, I knew I had to get that done today. Watered them too. Many of the Red Knee High have flower buds just showing so they will be blooming here way out of sync for our zone. My coneflowers here are just out of the ground. But these are greenhouse grown so are way ahead of our cycle here.

I still have lots to do so will take the inground pics tomorrow. I did take pics of them just out of the box.

I am so pleased with the looks of the area planted. Last year I wanted to go more cottage garden in this area but couldn't get a vision. This year it just came to me like a flash. I could see the Echinaceas in drifts there in my mind. Now they are actually there in person.

Rita,

Gomphrena are little balls of brilliant color all over the plant. Google it, you are bound to need some because it is like drugs for butterflies. I love the hot pink/fushia color. The plant is pretty good for the front of the border. However, last year mine got over a foot high and wide...covered with the globes of bright color.

kay

And here are the pictures of the new Echinaceas right after I unpacked them from the box. Remember that I bought PLUGS so the plants are small. But they are really lovely. I needed lots of plants to make my drifts and this was the only way it could work for me.

{{gwi:656338}}

{{gwi:656342}}

I thought I had taken pictures of them after I planted but when I downloaded the camera no such pictures were there. So I guess I forgot to. Will take them asap and post so you can see how great they look planted.

I finially got pictures of the Echinaceas planted. We had rain for a couple of days so they really settled in well. Remember these are PLUGS I bought. There they are behind the daylilies.

{{gwi:656346}}

{{gwi:656349}}

{{gwi:656351}}

{{gwi:656352}}

I was just over in the section of garden that has the Echinaceas and they are all looking good. Settled in and starting new growth. I have high hopes for this area to be a blaze of color during Echinacea bloom season.

Then I have plans in my mind of adding to the cottage garden look there by adding blackeyed susans along in that same area. That is just in the thinking stages and should be a project for next spring. I don't want Goldstrum, I have had it and don't care for it.

I was thinking of all this because I was working out there relocating one of my nice thornless blackberry "shrubs" so that I have room for my new clematis tower that I intend to put in along that garden area.

Well, its spring again after the Echinaceas were planted last year. I don't see anything coming up were I planted the Tomato Soup, Hot Lava and Tangerine Dream. The Kims Knee High and Red Knee High look to be starting to grow.

I just loved, loved, loved the effect of the facy colored Coneflowers last year. But they were much too expensive to be replanted as annuals each year so I am hoping I am wrong and they still show up. Some were there was a stem were it bloomed last year, I dug around and there is no plant so I am very doubtful. These possibly not being winter hardy here would be a real bummer.

I LOVE cone flower!!! I have a purple one near my pond and it looks so great! Last year I bought one called Hot Papaya! WOW! 1 gal pot, split 4 ways! Had another 4 tiny pcs that I stuck back in the one gallon pot and I see one is poking his head up! I also bought(on sale at the end of last season/yr)coconut lime! I will be on the lookout for Summer sky, tomoatoe soup, and anything double decker!!!ha!

I just placed my first echinacea order. I'm getting Fragrant Angel and Pink Double Delight. Is McGlauflins still in business? When I click on "echinacea" on their website, nothing comes up.

Laurie

An update on my fancy colored Echinaceas that I used to make a great new garden section last spring. Most of them did come back for me, just were late starting growing from when I was looking for them.

I got Hot Lava, Tangerine Dreams and Tomato Soup. Both the Hot Lava and Tomato Soup look to have done very well, growing and increasing. Only one plant of the Tangerine Dreams came back and it doesn't look too vigorous. So I don't know what I am going to do about that.

I loved the way it looked last year and want to keep the same effect. Right now, I have a space between the two other varieties were the Tangerine Dreams was last year.

Thanks for the web site. I foot the bill for Tomato soup last year at my local greenhouse; and it came back here in zone 4 Minnesota. Actually not sure if it re-seeded or actually came back. I let some blooms go to seed and pushed them in the ground in the fall. Either way, I'm glad to see something coming. It's off to a slow start; but I think it'll do fine. It's a fantastic color!

I love echinaceas too, although I don't have many of the new ones. Got Harvest Moon & Sundown a few years ago. They came back fine, Sundown has reseeded quite a bit & seems to come true. Harvest Moon returned but is now white. I don't think it reseeded, if it did, the plants were exactly where the parent plants were. I got Hot Papaya last summer, it did not come up when my other plants did, & some of the others are now blooming. I noticed yesterday some growth on it, unless it turns out to be a weed. I also have the older ones-Magnus, White Swan, Kim's Knee High, & Pink Double Delight.

I have Kims Knee High for years and have had other regular coneflower colored ones thru the years. Mainly Magnus but I had another that I can't remember right now.

This year I would like to get Pow Wow Wild Berry. It was new last year and I did get seeds but never started them. I am hoping the local nurseries will get plants this year.

Rita, be sure to show us pics of the new echninacea when they bloom. Unfortunately, I have heard others say that many of these are not reliably hardy. I have also had problems with ugly fading of some of the colors.

Turned out to be not hardy here in my garden. Very few of them came up this year. I did not even try to replant. Just stuck some zinnias in the empty spots.