I am not sure Amanda. I do recall reading where the new types (meadowbrite, razzmatazz, etc) are hardy to zone 4 so if that's the case you may be alright.

I know the basic echinacea purpurea is rated to zone 3, but my Mom in zone 2B grew it.

I planted the 'white swan' one last fall and it survived last winter for me.

I have a few 'doppelganger' which I just planted this spring. They have yet to experience their first winter. If anything the spot they are in gets great snowcover. I may mulch just as a precaution as I have put alot of time and effort into starting them from seed.

Interested to hear other experiences, especially because it seems there are now so many cultivars of echinacea being developed.

Glen

Our local nurseryman discouraged me from buying them, said they haven't stood the test of time for hardiness yet. I'm so anxious to have colors besides white and purple, I may buy them anyway.

'Sunrise' and 'Sunset' are supposedly the hardiest of the new yellows and oranges. I bought 'Sunset' this spring so will see how they do through a winter. I suspect they will survive just fine....but will they remain orange?

Not only have the new Echinaceas not withstood the test of time for hardiness....but they haven't for stability either.
Jan

No, I havenÂt bought any of those new fancy yellow/orange Echinacea's yet. Prices are still outrageous out here and if youÂre lucky to find them in the nurseries. I just canÂt gamble right now to experiment on such expensive plants, IÂm waiting for other cold zoners to try out first. LOL.

Sharon

They will probably do fine. Here in Calgary we have picked them up in the gallon pots in season-end-sales for a couple dollars each.

Having said that I prefer the old standby:purple/pink (pupurea?) 'Yellow' is nice but we have other yellow perennials in bloom this time of year. I'm not sure what variety our orange echinaceas are but they are just beginning to flower.

Regarding the new Echinaceas, I believe they will survive perfectly for you in Zone 4. In my own private garden in suburban Montreal, ArtÂs Pride did survive. It came back weakly at first but finally it did grow later and is currently in bloom.

What I can tell you is that the variegated Echinaceas like Sparkler and Prairie Frost did not survive at our farm outside of Ottawa (Zone 4). We lost about 200 plants of each variety. On the other hand, they were also field grown and probably did not get consistent snow cover as they were out in the open.

The same plant will not mutate from one year to another. Mutations occur from one generation of plants to the next due to continuous tissue culture cloning. For example, the existence of Echinacea Mango Meadowbrite is the result of tissue culture cloning of the original ArtÂs Pride plants. I also noted a color difference between the ArtÂs Pride plants we ordered in 2004 vs. those that we obtained in 2005. The 2005 variety has a pinkish cast whereas the 2004 plants are orange.

Unless some grower decides to illegally clone the plants and not pay the royalties or box stores start carrying the plants, donÂt expect to see any significant price decrease at your local nursery in 2006. And if you find them on sale for a few dollars, go for it! I mention this because IÂm sitting here with a growerÂs catalogue and the pricing for 2006 is exactly the same as for 2005.

Marilena

Alpiner,
I've been looking for sales in calgary for the last week and can't find anything more than 20% off! Any chance you'll share the name of your source??
Thanks!