Echinacea 'Balsomanita' SOMBRERO™ SANGRITA

SOMBRERO™ is a coneflower series bred by American breeder of Chinese origin Jianping Ren from Pan American Seed Company. The plants are renowned for deep flower colours, shorter growth, compact and very bushy habit, and very importantly reliable hardiness down to -34°C. Plants are distributed in Europe by their Kieft Seeds from the Netherlands.

SOMBRERO™ SANGRITA is one of the prettiest scarlet red coneflowers I have seen so far. Its name refers to a Spanish non-alcoholic drink served along with tequila to clean the palate of its unpleasant aftertaste. Though it looks like a tomato drink there is no tomato inside, but plenty of fruit juices (orange, pomegranate, tangerine, papaya or even mango) and chili powder that adds colour and spiciness. Flowers of Sungrita echinacea are produced atop 40-50 cm tall, sturdy stems from early July until late September. The discs are flattened, dark orange red, and hide plenty of nectar attractive for butterflies, bumble bees, and bees can find a way to get to the dinner table, too. Deadhead spent flowers regularly and feed the plants every two weeks during summer. Leaves are medium green, lanceolate, and may suffer from diseases if grown in wet or compacted soil. SOMBRERO™ SANGRITA was patented as PP30138 in 2019.

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.

Coneflower will tolerate almost any soil type but boggy. It loves full sun. It is suitable for mixed borders with perennials or can be used as a flowering feature among low shrubs and conifers, and looks lovely when planted in a mass in a container on patios and balconies. Fully hardy to min -34°C (USDA zone 4).

Last update 06-08-2020