'Cheyenne Spirit' Coneflower

 

The patch of 'Cheyenne Spirit' coneflower (Echinacea hybrida) seen above was photographed at the Ball Customer Day (West Chicago, IL) this past July and really showcased the beauty and color range of this seed selection.  We started growing this variety last year and have enjoyed the color variability (photo directly below is from RBG).  This variety blooms the first year from seed and exhibits a color range including red, orange, purple, pink, scarlet, cream, yellow and white.  This brilliant color range is exhibited at a height between 18" and 30" on strong, sturdy stems.  This summer bloomer has a long bloom period and is excellent for wildlife.  This drought tolerant selection also looks great en masse as seen in these photos (most from the Ball Trial Gardens) and has been awarded both the Fleuroselect Gold Medal (Europe) and the All-America Selection (AAS) award in 2013.   

 

It was a quiet day at the Horticulture Center.  I continue to peruse catalogs and was only in this morning as I'll be at the Holiday Lights Show (HLS) this evening.  This is the fourth evening of our eleven night HLS.  With record crowds last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we'll be preparing for a busy night with the weather looking near perfect (unfortunately sans snow).  Maury ran some errands and I had some meetings but otherwise, pretty quiet.  Dr. Yahr stopped by and we had a nice chat about the HLS.   My blogging over the next two weeks will be intermittent as I'll be working odd hours and taking some vacation to prepare for Santa's arrival.