Echinacea 'Rainb299' APRICOT RAINBOW

Henricus Holtmaat is a Dutch breeder who focuses on coneflowers, astilbe, and bee balms, and so far has patented a long line of beautiful varieties. When he crossed some unnamed echinacea purpurea seedlings in 2013 he had a huge achievement which he called Rainbow Marcella. Not long after rose another variety from the same breeding which he named APRICOT RAINBOW. It was introduced in 2018.

APRICOT RAINBOW is a purple coneflower from the BUTTERFLY™ series. It has rich apricot orange ray florets which open dark golden yellow and mature to pale apricot with salmon pink hues. They are formed around a large, rather flat, central disc of dark fiery orange colour. Flowers are strongly and sweetly fragrant and appear from early July until late September atop strong, well-branched, green stems about 40-50 cm tall. Lanceolate leaves are dark green and grow from the ground and then up along the stems. Flowers attract butterflies and bumble bees and benefit from regular deadheading.

Coneflower will tolerate almost any soil type but boggy and highly acidic. 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 06-09-2020