Coneflower Sombrero series
* Common name: Coneflower Sombrero series
Sombrero coneflowers Sandy Yellow, left, Salsa Red, middle, and Granada Gold, right.
Credit: Ball Horticultural Co.
* Botanical name: Echinacea Sombrero
* What it is: A mash-up of multiple coneflower varieties that Chicago’s Ball Horticultural Co. has been breeding for nearly 20 years, the Sombrero series is a line of compact, early-blooming, and brilliantly colored coneflowers that are some of the best-performing sun perennials of any kind.
Salsa Red was one of the first Sombreros and is an especially colorful, heavy-blooming choice with red petals. Other colors are Flamenco Orange, Baja Burgundy, Sandy Yellow, Hot Coral, Granada Gold, and an especially interesting three-toned bloomer called Tres Amigos that’s debuting in 2019.
All bloom in June and July.
* Size: 16 to 20 inches tall, depending on variety. Space 2 feet apart.
* Where to use: Perennial borders, cut-flower gardens, south- or west-facing foundations, or any sunny bed or bank. Full sun yields best bloom.
* Care: Keep damp the first season, then water usually is not needed, except in prolonged drought. Scatter an organic granular fertilizer formulated for flowers over the bed in early spring. Snip off flower stems after bloom to encourage longer bloom and to neaten the plants. Cut back foliage to ground at the end of winter. Divide at the same time, if needed.
* Great partners: Red switchgrass and big bluestem make a good native-grass textural contrast. Russian sage is a good perennial partner that likes the same hot and sunny locations and blooms in a coordinated purple shade.