Echinacea SUNSEEKERS PURPLELICIOUS 'Ifecsspur' 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.
Apart from the beauty of the flowers, coneflowers are also sought after for their amazing fragrance. It is mostly described as honey-sweet with varying intensity. However, those of you who are able to differentiate for example various scents of roses, these perennials may challenge you to try and tell what each variety smells like. SUNSEEKERS PURPLELICIOUS is a coneflower variety from 2021 and exhibits a perfume giant because its flowers smell intensely like oriental lilies – very sweet and a little spicy. They are huge: 11-13 cm across with petals slightly narrower than usual, somewhat undulated, acuminate and here and there laid one above the other, giving a semi-double appearance.
They are soft pastel pink as they open and soon turn glowing purple pink which is a colour they hold until maturation. Central discs are deep orange-brown, conspicuously convex, and hide plenty of nectar for butterflies, bumble bees as well as bees. Flowering begins in July and lasts until the last sunny and warm days of September or even October. Longevity of individual flowers is 2-3 weeks. Plants are compact and well-branched. Stems are usually 40-50 cm tall. Deadhead spent flowers regularly and feed the plants every two weeks during summer. Leaves are healthy, deep green, and lanceolate. Granted patents: PP34432 (USA – 2022) and 66740 (EU – 2024).
SunSeekers is a coneflower series bred by Innoflora BV and marketed by Gootjes AllPlant 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 mostly semi-double flowers which recall gerbera and dahlia rather than a coneflower or those with uniquely coloured ray florets. The first and hugely successful variety was SUNSEEKERS SALMON that was awarded Gold Medal by KVBC at Plantarium Exhibition 2018. Since then SunSeekers series is taking the coneflower world by the storm.
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 02-09-2024
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
Goods are shipped all over Europe. For Russia and U.K. and for further details please read about SHIPPING OPTIONS HERE.
Are you interested in a serious discount for orders NOV-FEB? Check your options here.
THE PRICES INCLUDE VAT of 15%. For quick conversion you can use 1 CZK = approx. 0.04 EUR
- STANDARD QUALITY - Plants of this group are 1st class quality with number of branches and overall density adequate to their size and age, considering they were container grown.
- DE LUXE QUALITY - This label guarantees a luxurious quality of manually selected plants that, compared to their height and age, are exceptionally dense and beautiful.
- EXTRA - These plants are usually mature and bigger specimens with exceptional overall appearance.
- STANDARD (as described in the plant form) means a tree with a trunk of 190-210 cm and a crown at the top, unless specified differently. The commercial size for trees is their girth measured in the height of 1m from ground.
- HOBBY - These plants are of the same quality as our standard-quality plants but younger and therefore cheaper.
- SHRUB - a woody plant with branches growing bushy from the ground level.
- HALF-STANDARD or MINI-STANDARD - a small tree with shorter trunk, its size is usually specified.
- FEATHERED - These are trees with branches growing already from the base of the trunk and up along the stem.
- GRASSES and PERENNIALS - Sizes given usually read the diameter of the pot or the clump, as specified.
