Echinacea ‘Katie Saul’ Summer Sky Coneflower

The First-Ever Bicolor Echinacea Coneflower!

Plant Patent #18,783. cv: ‘Katie Saul.’

Here it is at last — the first bicolor Echinacea the world has ever seen! Each petal on these large 5-inch blooms shades from deep rosy-pink at the base through coral, orange, and finally gold at the tips. And as if this weren’t enough,  Echinacea Summer Sky is also the most fragrant member of the Big Sky™ Echinaceas, with a pervasive sweet scent in garden or vase.

These 5-inch blooms keep their colors beautifully, even in hot weather.

Developed by Itsaul Plants of Georgia, the Big Sky series of Echinaceas are crosses of E. purpurea — the traditional Purple Coneflower — and E. paradoxa. They are heavy-blooming, unusually long-lasting, and sport a range of brand-new colors for the family. In addition to Summer Sky, try new Echinacea ‘After Midnight’ Coneflower.

Summer Sky reaches 30 to 36 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide, well-branched and sturdy. Butterflies and bees adore its huge central brown cone in summer, while songbirds feast upon its dried seeds in fall and early winter. Deer tend to leave this plant alone, making it a fine choice for open gardens and meadows as well as the border.

Plant Summer Sky in any moist, well-drained garden soil exposed to full sun, and keep it very well-watered and fed the first season or two. Once established, it is wonderfully tolerant of heat, humidity, poor soil, cold, and even drought. Summer Sky is the most exciting new introduction of the season, and it’s certain to sell out quickly. Please order yours promptly to begin growing this magnificent breeding breakthrough.

Hardiness: Zones 4-8.