Coney island
January 13, 2013
I’ve always loved the orange-and-pink color scheme of purple coneflower. And I also love that at least one or two will bloom on through winter in my garden.
Right now I have these two—an island of coneys, if you will—twirling their pink ballerina skirts despite the chill in the air.
I love winter in Austin!
All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
I would love to have flowers that bloom through winter. But then, I would not want to have to endure your summer. Great pictures, I often forget that coneflowers have orange centers.
It’s only a few flowers here and there at this time of year, Alison, so don’t be too jealous. 🙂 Our winter weather is generally pretty fine though. —Pam
I also love purple coneflower. The hardiness, floriferousness, and attractiveness to birds and butterflies. I always use the straight species, but I’m thinking of planting the orange cultivar ‘Tikki Torch’.
I’m always tempted by the cool new cultivars in catalogs, Jason, but after trying a few I always find that the regular old coneflowers grow best for me. I wish I had room for more of them, as I did in my former garden. —Pam
Seeing this makes me yearn for summer here. We have ice forming on the foliage here. UGH…
Brr, Lisa! It’s getting chilly here again, but no ice at least. —Pam
Amazing Pam. I think we shall have to change your weather zone to 9!
That would be lovely, but I don’t think it would be accurate. Or so my tender succulents tell me. —Pam
Coneflowers in January. Hot Dog! Lucky you. One of my favorites. I tried the Big Sky™ Sundown Coneflower this year and it was a subtle shade of apricot and prolific through the summer. The photographs you see on the internet don’t do it justice.
That sounds simply beautiful, Jeanette. —Pam
Love ’em, Pam…I’ll never go without Echinaceas in my garden 🙂
And they look so good with ornamental grasses, right? —Pam
I love your play on words. 🙂
I had Coney’s in my backyard for quite awhile, but they finally died out. They are lovely, and I’ll have to try some again!
I try to be punny—glad you liked the title, Laura. Hope you have better luck with the cones this summer! —Pam
How pretty! I had no idea how long they can bloom for. I seeded a ton…wish me luck! Did you seed yours? Do they re-establish for you year after year? Your photos are always especially thoughtful when you photograph your coneflowers – I can see how much you love them. 🙂
I do love them, Heather—their color, their ballerina skirts, their crazy, orange coneheads! And yep, I did grow these from seed from my old garden. I don’t have a ton of room for them here, but they do seed out pretty easily, especially if you clear away any mulch beneath them when they begin to go to seed. —Pam
You and Cat (www.thewhimsicalgardener.com) are doing a good job convincing me to visit Austin in January! Yes, you are truly blessed to have Echinaceas blooming year-round! Great captures, too.
I am glad you pointed me to Cat’s recent post about the green Austin winters. Coincidentally, I’m doing a similar post tomorrow for Foliage Follow-Up. Still, while I highly encourage you to visit Austin (I love Austin!), January would be a disappointment in terms of garden visits. I recommend April-May and October-November. 🙂 —Pam