Coneflower ‘Coconut Lime’

Coneflower 'Coconut Lime'

* Common name: Purple coneflower ‘Coconut Lime’

* Botanical name: Echinacea purpurea ‘Coconut Lime’ 

* What it is: The first double-blooming white version of this old-favorite, sun-loving native. Picture a green/white pom-pom about the size of a golfball with white petals circling the pom-pom like a skirt. Striking.

* Size: 2 feet tall and wide (a little shorter than most coneflowers)

* Where to use: Along a sunny border or in any sunny island bed. Best in full sun.

* Care: Best planted in spring. Cut browned-out foliage to the ground at end of winter. Spent flower stalks can be snipped off after blooms fade, but let some stand over winter for the birds. Fertilize with Flower-Tone in March.

* Great partner: Interplant with new, warm-colored “Big Sky” coneflowers such as ‘Sundown,’ ‘Twilight,’ ‘Harvest Moon’ or the orange ‘Tiki Torch.’ Or pair with gaillardia ‘Oranges and Lemons’ or ‘Arizona Sun.’