Sunday, August 1, 2021

Perennial Highlight: Echibeckia Summerina

This Month in the Garden
Welcome to This Month in the Garden! Come along for a visit on the 1st of each month to explore updates in the horticultural industry, garden design tips, gardening related locations, planting and maintenance tips, all along with new introductions into the gardening world. This months highlight is a relatively new plant in the horticultural industry, which I have personally tested, and found to be a successful addition to my zone 7 Long Island garden.

Echibeckia Summerina 'Blazing Fire'

Introduced by Pacific Plug & Liner, Echibeckia Summerina is a hybrid derived from an intergeneric cross between Echinacea (Coneflower) and Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan), possessing the appearance and rapid growth of Rudbeckia and the vigor and disease tolerance of Echinacea all in one plant! This herbaceous perennial displays yellow petals that start with a red ringed center in early summer, which becomes flecked throughout by fall. Depending on the variety, colors may appear lighter or darker and more towards either the yellow or orange side. Flowers that can last two to three months are three-inches in diameter on a 16-24 inch tall compact plant. 
Echibeckia 'Rainy Leaf'

Echibeckia is most hardy in zones 7-9, but may survive as far as zones 6 and 10, prefers full sun and a moderately moist soil. Echibeckia is perfect for sunny borders and cutting gardens, is drought tolerant once established, and attracts butterflies. Echibeckia is self-cleaning, which means there is no need to deadhead to extend bloom time, making this cultivar low maintenance and certainly worth a try! Newer varieties are being added to the collection, including Echibeckia 'Rainy Leaf' 'Butterscotch Biscuit' and 'Pumpernickel'. I found this beauty at a local farm stand, and it is a winner!

I hope you enjoyed This Month in the Garden. Be sure to stop by on the 1st. and 15th. of each month as I continue to share gardening tips, information and horticultural adventures! (Linking with: Floral FridaysMacro Monday 2Ruby Tuesday and Image-in-ing Weekly Photo Link-Up.

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8 comments:

  1. Fascinating. I won't be able to grow it since I'm zone 5, but the zones are changing, so... Lovely plant. :)

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    1. It is a fabulous plant and maybe worth a try for you! Try putting in a sheltered area.

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  2. What a beauty Echibeckia, Lee! I always love virtually visit your garden.
    My zone is 5a and it's a pity this plant doesn't grow in my zone.

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    1. If you can find it, it is worth a try, as it is extremely durable here in zone 7. As I mentioned above, maybe in a sheltered area. I have been hearing more and more gardeners testing out of their zone.

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  3. I'm really curious because both black eyed susan and echinacea have medicinal properties, so by combining the two do you get both medicinal properties?

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    1. Good question! This is what I found. Combining black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and echinacea (Echinacea purpurea or Echinacea angustifolia) does not necessarily mean that their medicinal properties will combine or enhance each other. Each plant has its own active compounds that contribute to its medicinal properties. Individually, Black-eyed Susan has been used for treating colds, flu, infections, and snakebites and the root and leaves were commonly used in teas or poultices by native Americans, while Echinacea is known for its immune-boosting properties and is used to prevent or treat colds and infections.

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Thank you for visiting. I love reading your comments and knowing you have been here, and will try to reciprocate on your blog. If you have any questions I will try my very best to answer them. As always...HAPPY GARDENING!