Echinacea purpurea Sun Magic Vintage Orange - Purple Coneflower

Echinacea Sun Magic® 'Vintage Orange' is a medium-sized variety of Echinacea with strong and well-branched stems and dense foliage. Very floriferous, it produces 25 to 30 flowers per plant from summer to early autumn. Its large heads last a long time, and the ligules, stiffer than those of other Echinaceas, make up cheerful horizontal flowers. This one is expressed in a fabulous, almost fluorescent orange. The central disc is rounded, not very prominent, and rust brown in colour. This perennial brings life to flower beds, sunny borders, or flowering pots from the first year onwards.

Echinacea purpurea 'Vintage Orange' belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is a horticultural creation resulting, among others, from Echinacea purpurea, originating from the western United States, from Georgia to Michigan, passing through Oklahoma and Ohio. 'Vintage Orange' has a bushy, erect, and dense habit, reaching 60cm (24in) in height and 45cm (18in) in width. The opposite, lanceolate, green leaves are covered in rough hairs. Flowering occurs from July to September, and the flowers are slightly fragrant and visited by butterflies. The branched stems are topped with a solitary head, 10 to 12cm (4 to 5in) in diameter, with a disc surrounded by a collar of horizontal or slightly trailing ligules of bright orange colour. The fruit is an achene that releases seeds which birds are fond of. This plant firmly and deeply anchors itself in the soil with its highly developed root system.

Echinacea 'Vintage Orange' is a resilient plant that adapts to difficult conditions, occasionally tolerating intense heat, humidity, and drought. Its remarkably colourful flowering brings dynamism and good mood to flower beds. Play with flowerings of similar colours but different shapes, such as those of daylilies, monardas. Its warm colours complement the golden or pink spikes of ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia, Schizachyrium scoparium, or Muhlenbergia capillaris. Its vibrant combination with another foliage plant, Lady's Mantle, is superb. Finally, it brightens up fresh or dried flower bouquets.