Echinacea SUNSEEKERS CORAL 'Ifecssc' coneflower
Symbivit Tric (arbuscular)
Symbivit (arbuscular)Echinacea
Echinacea, known by its common name coneflower, is a perennial plant of the North American prairies, where it has thrived for thousands of years. Fossil pollen from related members of the daisy family has been found in sediments millions of years old, meaning its foremothers grew on this continent long before the arrival of humans. The Indigenous peoples of America (including the Sioux, Comanche, and others) knew its medicinal properties and used it to relieve pain, treat inflammation, snakebites, and even rabies. The genus name comes from the Greek echinos – hedgehog – referring to the spiny, cone-shaped centre of the flower head. Today, about nine species are recognized, the most common in cultivation being E. purpurea, along with E. paradoxa, E. pallida, and E. angustifolia. It was botanically described by the German botanist Konrad Mönch (aka Conrad Moench, 1744–1805) based on herbarium material brought to Europe by missionaries and naturalists from American expeditions. Echinacea reached Europe at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, but its true explosion of colour came in 1995, when E. purpurea was crossed with E. paradoxa at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The result was the very first orange cultivar named Art’s Pride, which sparked an era of vividly coloured varieties in shades ranging from delicate pastels to rich, warm tones.
SUNSEEKERS CORAL is hybrid coneflower makes flowers of intriguing colour mélange combining rich orange and scarlet red which results in soft and warm coral red tone. Central discs are deep mahogany red, cone-like, and provide plenty of nectar for butterflies, bumble bees as well as bees. Flowering begins early – in July and strong and reliably fed plants keep on flowering until September. Longevity of individual flowers is exceptional, too – almost 3 weeks.
Plants are compact but have exceptional vigour and dense habit. Stems are dark purple and reach about 40 cm tall. Deadhead spent flowers regularly and feed the plants every two weeks during summer. Leaves are healthy, deep green, and broadly lanceolate. SUNSEEKERS CORAL was bred by Jelle can den Haak and granted an EU patent No. 64410 in 2023.
SunSeekers is a coneflower series bred by Jelle van den Haak for Innoflora BV from the Netherlands. The first part consists of varieties whose patent names begin with Apecss- and comprises of plants with single flowers of remarkably rich colours. While the second part of the series with patent names beginning with Ifecss- breaks through with a completely new and innovative design of unique colours or semi-double flowers which recall gerbera and dahlia rather than a coneflower. The first and hugely successful variety was SunSeekers Salmon and was awarded Gold Medal by KVBC at Plantarium Exhibition 2018.
The plant is usually trouble-free and resistant, just be careful if slugs are present in your garden. Since coneflowers emerge quite late, often when slugs are already in their lethal strength, they could gobble up newly emerging foliage totally and thus destroy the plant before it even comes out.
Last update 14-06-2024
Coneflowers are beautiful, low-maintenance perennials that bloom from the first half of summer until autumn. The central discs hide nectar eagerly sought by butterflies and bumblebees. Regular deadheading, along with occasional feeding with liquid fertilizers, will extend the flowering season. Their stems are very sturdy, withstanding heavy rain and wind. They will grow in almost any well-drained, non-waterlogged soil in full sun, but dislike overly acidic conditions. Although native to the prairies, experience shows that hybrid types in particular dislike prolonged drought and appreciate extra watering during the driest parts of the year. In spring, watch out for slug invasions, which can consume much of the fresh growth – offering them beer traps is a great and effective way to lure them to a boozy demise while protecting your plants. Hardy to at least -29 °C (USDA zone 5), possibly lower, and requiring no winter protection
