Yep, the name needs a makeover, but Echibeckia for me is a winner. I love the look and late summer bloom time, and if it survives my zone 6b winter, I want more! I picked up this new cross at Home Depot which surprises me with new cultivars that I can’t resist. There are so many new varieties of perennials that it is hard to keep up with the deluge!
An “echibeckia” is a cross between two compatible genera (genuses) – the coneflower (Echinacea) and the black-eyed susan/gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia). So think- coneflower/black-eyed susan cross makes a totally new flower. These two varieties are favorites of a lot of gardeners, so you could predict crossing these would produce a winner.
Summerina is the first three-variety series of this new cross, coming in an orange-with-yellow bicolor, a yellow-with-orange bicolor, and burnt orange. So, Echibeckias combine the look and fast growth of black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia) with the hardiness and disease resistance of coneflowers (Echinacea). Combining these two staples of the garden was a slam dunk! Both tough plants on their own, but Pennsylvania is the northern limit for hardiness at -10 degrees being the drop dead winter temperature to survive. I will report back next year on how they do!
Echibeckia makes sense. I frequently find myself confusing the names of these two. Hope they grow well.
I planted one last summer. This year, it is HUGE, and is one of the most beautiful, showiest flowers I have ever seen!! I live just northwest of Milwaukee, WI, and it is thriving here!! I am very, very pleased.
Nice to know! Thanks
Wow, you’re in zone 5, then (I grew up north of Milwaukee). Glad to know it’s hardy in zone 5.
How are they holding up in Wisconsin?
It seems a bit pointless to me because rudbeckia reseed so easily here but they maybe a winner for colder climates. They’re definitely pretty. :o)
Very pretty and new to me. I may have to try a few:)
They look good – I wonder are they available in the UK.
Not sure, but they are worth seeking out.
They are available in the UK – I found them under the Rudbeckia ‘Summerina’ name. I grew them last year and loved them. However, they didn’t survive the winter and we didn’t go down as low as -10 🙁 Could be the fault of this gardener rather than the plant though.
I have some in my garden….at least it looks like it. It came from a seed mix…I think. Since the Rudbeckia don’t bloom the first year (from seed) I wasn’t 100% sure what I scattered in the area where I have these growing.
I love the colors. They should do well in the Pacific NW. I’ll look for them next visit to the nursery. Seems our nurseries carry very little other than the standard fair.
They look a lot like Gaillardia! Interesting combination.
Interesting! I hadn’t heard of these yet, maybe because I am in zone 5. I am surprised zone 6 is their upper limit, both coneflowers and echiniceas survive in zone 5 +
Okay, how have they done over time?
They come back every year!