‘Sweet Sandia’ Echinacea Boasts Two-Tone Coneflowers
Just like a slice of watermelon!
'Sweet Sandia' coneflower is a new echinacea cultivar with bicolor flowers whose color scheme calls to mind a slice of watermelon. This perennial is compact in size and shape, remaining under two feet tall and spreading just over a foot wide. However, it makes a big statement thanks to its densely held flower stalks.
Common name: 'Sweet Sandia' coneflower
Botanical name: Echinacea 'Sweet Sandia'
Exposure: Full sun
Flowers: The "cone" of this coneflower is a very dark reddish brown. The rays surrounding it are magenta at the flower's center, shifting to green at their tips. Bloom continues from midsummer through autumn.
Foliage: Deep green.
Habit: 'Sweet Sandia' coneflower is an herbaceous perennial that grows 19 to 24 inches tall and 16 inches wide.
Origin: Introduced by Terra Nova Nurseries in 2022.
How to grow it: The care is typical of that required by echinacea plants. Provide full sun and well-drained soil, and provide supplemental watering in times of drought. USDA Zones 4–9.
Image courtesy of terranovanurseries.com.
