Echinacea 'PICCOLINO'® coneflower

Piccolino® is a beautiful new hybrid coneflower bred by Marco van Noort from Garmond, the Netherlands. He managed to hybridize several coneflowers in 2008 with the aim of selecting a compact variety with profuse flowering. The result came shortly after and was patented only 3 years later in 2011 under a trade name Piccolino®.

Piccolino® is a dwarf coneflower – a perennial with short, only 20-30 cm tall, sturdy stems, bearing attractive flowers from early summer until September. The flowers are rich pink or purple pink, and are composed of one set of slightly longer ray florets and a cone packed with numerous small petals which, when fully opened, elevate into an almost double-flowering anemone-like shape. Flowers attract butterflies and bumble bees. Lanceolate leaves grow from the ground and sparcely up along the stems.

Coneflower will tolerate almost any soil type but boggy. It loves full sun. Deadheading (removing spent flowers) will prolong flowering time. It is suitable for mixed borders with perennials, or can be used as a flowering feature among low shrubs and conifers, and looks lovely when planted in a mass in a container on patios and balconies. Piccolino® is hardy to about -34°C (USDA zone 4) and is suitable for outdoor pots.

Last update 04-01-2014