Echinacea purpurea 'HOPE' purple coneflower

Hope is a tall coneflower variety bred by Harini Korlipara from the Terra Nova Nurseries in Oregon, USA. It produces large, light pink flowers with giant orange discs that hide plenty of nectar for butterflies, bumble bees and bees. Stems are 80-100 cm tall which makes them perfect for cut flowers along with extreme longevity of individual flowers: 14 days. Hope originated as a controlled genetic mutation of Ruby Giant coneflower using colchicine. Leaves are broadly lanceolate, medium green. Patents: US – PP17194 (2006) and EU – 20630 (2007).

The plant is usually trouble-free and resistant, just be careful is slugs are present in your garden. Since coneflowers emerge quite late, often when slugs are already in their lethal strength, they could gobble up newly emerging foliage totally and thus destroy the plant before it even comes out.

Coneflower will tolerate almost any soil type but boggy. It loves full sun. 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. Fully hardy to min -34 °C (USDA zone 4).

Last update 16-11-2020