I've been wanting to post this since last week but major computer failure prevented me from doing so. My first and most favorite echinacea to bloom has once again opened it's lovely orange cones. Orange Meadowbrite Coneflower Echinacea 'Art's Pride' is not your typical "Garden Center" plant as it is tall, lanky and sometimes floppy, but I tell people that you can spot the color from across the garden it is so bright. It is a must have for Echinacea lovers.
The following is a description from the Missouri Botanical Garden website "Echinacea Orange Meadowbrite grows to 2-3’ tall on rigid stems. It features fragrant, daisy-like coneflowers (to 5” diameter) with orange to coppery-orange rays and large, pin cushion-like, dark brown central cones. Flowers bloom from June to August with some sporadic later bloom." Art’s Pride’ is a coneflower that has no purple on it. It is noted for having distinctive orange ray flowers, a sweet orange-spiced tea fragrance and semi-glossy dark green leaves. ‘Art’s Pride’ is a product of a breeding program conducted at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Parents for this variety were Echinacea purpurea ‘Alba’ (female) and Echinacea paradoxa (male). It typically grows to 2-3’ tall on rigid stems. It features fragrant, daisy-like coneflowers (to 5” diameter) with orange to coppery-orange rays and large, pin cushion-like, dark brown central cones. Flowers bloom from June to August with some sporadic later bloom."
The first photo is an early stage bloom with the in the later stages, but they hold there color better than some of the newer varieties on the market
