Coneflowers are so common and popular today that they might be considered trite or overused. Catalogs abound with myriad cultivars. The excellent substance and coloring of these flowers earn them a place in any sunny border. They don’t seem as common in Seattle as they probably are in the midwest or east coast. In fact, the three plants I have in the memory garden are the only ones I know of in the neighborhood.
My plants resemble the standard species. I don’t recall if they have a cultivar name. I grew them from seed in 2017 for planting out in the memory garden. The cones of coneflowers are my favorite part–the color is the perfect contrast to the petals and they glow differently with various sun exposures.
These plants are very self-sufficient, including being significantly drought tolerant. I sprinkle them a few times in the hottest weeks along with the other plants in the memory bed. I fertilize them in spring to encourage them to bulk up and bloom more–it seems to be working. They are much showier this year than last.