Echinacea Hot Papaya Coneflower

Echinacea ‘Hot Papaya’ is a plant that we keep coming back to in our own garden. It is easy to care for and consistently produces abundant, long lasting, beautiful flowers that are strong and perfect for cutting. Starting in spring velvety deep green coneflower leaves emerge creating a nice clump. By mid-summer the stems of buds emerge and transform into 3” fragrant red-orange double blooming flowers where deep reds flow out from a brighter orange halo. They are remarkable flowers that simply catch the eye and elicit commentary from visitors. Hot Papaya is a prolific flowerer until fall, at which point the flowers will fade to a brown color and act as tassels that rustle in the fall breeze and catch frost.

Hot Papaya grows about 3’ tall and is a good choice for the middle of a flower border. It is an easy to care for and robust plant. Once established it is drought tolerant and will increase in size and the number of flower heads. Leave flower heads in the winter months and they will provide food for birds and textures in your garden.

Coneflower, also known as echinacea, is a wonderful perennial native to the U.S. midwest and prairies. It does best in a light loamy soil, but will do well in any well-drained soil. Full sunlight and heat are best for full flowering, while they can tolerate some light shade, we recommend at least 6 hours of full sun each and every day. Once established they are very drought resistant making them a great plant for those looking for a low water/ low maintenance garden. As a perennial flower, if cared for correctly echinacea will return with new growth each year. It's a star of the garden easy to grow, native, and keeps a long-lasting bounty of color all summer and well into fall.

Photo Credit: Walters Gardens

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Echinacea Hot Papaya Coneflower

Coneflower, also known as echinacea, is a wonderful perennial native to the U.S. midwest and prairies. It does best in a light loamy soil, but will do well in any well-drained soil. Full sunlight and heat are best for full flowering, while they can tolerate some light shade, we recommend at least 6 hours of full sun each and every day. Once established they are very drought resistant making them a great plant for those looking for a low water/ low maintenance garden. As a perennial flower, if cared for correctly echinacea will return with new growth each year.