'Sunrise' Coneflower
"Bring me the sunset in a cup."
-Emily Dickinson
(1830-1886)
(1830-1886)
A veritable revolution in coneflowers began in the new millenium, with wondrous varieties introduced every year, of a genus that had for too long been restricted to a very few standard cultivars mainly in the same shades of purple.
New varieties have added increased scent & a much wider range of color, including the unusual pale "citron yellow" variety 'Sunrise,' with larger than average blooms easily four inches & up to five inches across. Like several of the newer cultivars, it boasts a pleasing scent such as is in the old standard varieties.
Here in Zone 8 on Puget Sound, it flowers July through October with easy reliability. Its first year in our garden, its July blooms were the best colored, but its late August through October blooms were faded to off-white, as shown in the second photo.
'Sunrise' is a cross of the ultra-hardy Echinacea purpurea with the less often seen yellow species E. paradoxa. Tough stems can be as thick around as pencils, so not prone to lodging, & very sturdy for cut flowers. It can reach three feet in height but usually closer to two or two & a half feet, so just about qualifies as semi-dwarf, the enormous bloom size notwithstanding.The cone begins greenish & ages to gold. The pale yellow petals start out partially folded like cigarette papers, overlapping when they are fully opened for an extremely substantial full-bodied bloom. The blooms start out not reflexed at all, but even slightly turned upward. As they mature they are never strongly reflexed as with the usual purple echinacea but are at most subtly drooping.
'Sunrise' was widely introduced in 2005 together with the red-magenta 'Sundown.' It was developed by the Saul brothers Bob & Richard & Bob's wife Kathy, owners of the Itsaul Nurseries in Atlanta, Georgia, the nursery was founded in 1998, but already sending shockwaves of delight throughout the gardening world.
The Sauls had previously owned Saul Nurseries where they experimented with breeding, but tended to just sell or give away as gifts whatever the came up with. When their creations began to appear from other growers & in other catalogs, they realized they'd better set up a company for the copyright protection & liscensing of the fruits of their creative process, & Itsaul was born, adding Ozzie Johnson & Karen Stever to the company team of owners.
To get a new specimen established, plant it in moist well-drained soil in full sun & don't let it get too droughty the first year. Thereafter it will be extremely drought hardy & take practically no care at all.