Hot Papaya coneflower

Sun

Full sun; light afternoon shade can help in very hot climates, but too much shade weakens stems and reduces flowering.

Water

Water regularly during establishment. Once established, water deeply during prolonged dry spells; avoid keeping the crown continually wet.

Soil

Well-drained loam, sandy loam or improved clay, with average fertility. Avoid waterlogged ground, particularly in winter.

Height

2.5-3 ft (0.75-0.9 m)

Spread

1.5-2 ft (0.45-0.6 m)

Flowers

Summer into early autumn; orange-red double flowers with a dense, raised centre and drooping outer petals.

Foliage

Rough-textured, dark green, broadly lance-shaped leaves; lower leaves are larger than those on the upright flowering stems.

Growth

Moderate; usually forms a substantial flowering clump within two to three growing seasons.

Care needed

Medium

• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.6 ft (0.47 m)

3. After 2 years

   2.1 ft (0.65 m)

4. After 3 years

   2.7 ft (0.83 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant with the crown at soil level, allowing space for air to circulate between clumps.
• Water deeply in dry weather during the first growing season; thereafter, water during extended drought.
• Apply a thin layer of compost in spring; avoid heavy feeding, which encourages weak, leafy growth.
• Keep mulch clear of the crown, particularly where winters are wet.
• Use discreet supports if stems lean in exposed sites.
• Divide crowded or declining clumps in spring, usually every three to four years.

Pruning. Remove faded flower heads back to a leaf or side shoot to encourage further flowering. Cut dead stems to just above ground level in late winter or early spring, or sooner if they are diseased.

Early spring

Cut back remaining dead stems before new shoots develop.

Spring

Plant or divide clumps once the soil is workable and no longer waterlogged.

Mid-spring

Apply a thin compost dressing and check emerging shoots for slug damage.

Summer

Water during prolonged dry spells and remove faded flowers regularly.

Early autumn

Remove any distorted or diseased plants rather than composting them.

Late autumn

Clear wet debris away from crowns and check that winter rain drains freely.

• Plant in small groups through the middle of a sunny border for repeated blocks of orange-red colour.
• Combine with blue or violet salvias and catmint for a strong colour contrast.
• Mix with fine-textured ornamental grasses to soften the heavy double flower heads.
• Use in a sunny cutting border where the upright stems are easy to reach.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Hot border, New perennial (prairie), Modern rustic and Traditional.

Plant it with: Meadow sage, Catmint, Russian sage, Switchgrass, Little bluestem and Yarrow.

Wildlife: The dense double flowers provide much less accessible pollen and nectar than single coneflowers. Choose single-flowered echinaceas nearby if feeding bees and butterflies is a priority; seed production and value to seed-eating birds may also be limited.

• Slugs and snails can eat emerging shoots: inspect at dusk, remove hiding places and use iron-phosphate bait if needed, following the label.
• Crown and root rot can kill plants in wet soil: improve drainage, keep mulch away from crowns and replace badly affected plants.
• Aster yellows can cause green, misshapen flowers and abnormal shoot growth: remove the whole affected plant; there is no cure.
• Powdery mildew can coat leaves in dry, crowded conditions: improve airflow, water the soil rather than foliage and remove badly affected debris.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. No part is generally recognised as poisonous, but eating large amounts may cause digestive upset, and sensitive people may react to plants in the daisy family. Do not treat ornamental plants as food or medicine.

• Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

  Typical plants have pink-purple, single flowers with an exposed, prickly central cone; Hot Papaya has orange-red flowers with a dense pompom centre.

• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

  Typical plants have yellow or orange rays around a dark brown centre rather than Hot Papaya's orange-red pompom. Double black-eyed Susan cultivars can look closer, so check the plant label.

Echinacea comes from the Greek word for hedgehog, referring to the prickly central cone of single-flowered coneflowers.

Propagation. Division in spring preserves the cultivar; seedlings will not reliably match the parent. Commercial production commonly uses tissue culture. Check local plant breeders' rights or patent restrictions before propagating.

Accepted botanical name

Echinacea

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.