Eye-Catcher Atomic Orange Coneflower

• Partial Sun to Full Sun (At Least 5 Hours of Direct Sunlight)
• Height 16 - 18 Inches
• Width 16 - 18 Inches
• Growing Zones 4-8

Don’t let its compact size fool you, Eye-Catcher Atomic Orange Coneflower will pack a punch with its 4 to 4 ½ inch neon orange blooms. It will certainly catch your eye and bring you tons of compliments when massed out in your landscape or garden bed. Plant it in your butterfly or pollinator garden, or include it in your cutting garden for use in bouquets...whatever you want to do, Atomic Orange says ‘Bring it on!’ Bees, butterflies and birds are all attracted to Echinacea.

As a native wildflower in North America, Echinacea is a tough contender, growing in meadows and prairie lands across the United States in the cool to warm summer climates. It is hardy in Zones 4-8, everywhere but the hottest and the coldest regions. Unlike many other coneflowers, Atomic Orange does not droop its petals down but holds them out to the sides like rays of the sun. It is tolerant of all soil types except soggy, poor draining soils and its compact size will allow you to place it anywhere you want a bright color to draw attention.

Eye-Catcher Atomic Orange Coneflower Care

Echinacea is an easy to care for flower, almost a set it and forget it variety. Give it full sun in Northern cooler climates and full sun with some light afternoon shade in the hot Southern climates for best performance. It tolerates, and actually thrives in, poor loose soils. Watering is generally not needed once it is established, and fertilizer should be reserved for the poorest soil types only. Soil pH is not a big issue as it is adaptable to most, but a range of 5.8 to 6.2 is optimal. It is drought and heat tolerant and keeps blooming during the hottest and driest seasons of the year. Winter protection is generally not needed, but you can mulch it in the late fall to protect against expected harsh winters.

Deadheading is not generally needed for coneflowers as the spent petals drop and the cone then sets seeds. If you want to deadhead, however, do so in the mid bloom season, then stop as fall approaches so that the plant sets seeds. Not only will that allow the plant to reseed itself, giving you more plants in the spring, but it also feeds the songbirds who love its seed. Leave the dry seed heads for winter interest and then in late winter, early spring, clip stems down to about 3 inches to make way for new spring growth. Echinacea is typically deer resistant so no worries there.

Eye-Catcher Atomic Orange Coneflower Spacing

Spacing is crucial to help with the prevention of fungal diseases. Allow 16 to 18 inches between plantings for room to spread out and good air circulation. Atomic Orange will grow to about 18 inches tall and wide. These lovely bright perennials look wonderful when massed out in drifts of bright colors, when paired with the four other colors in the Eye-Catcher Coneflower series, or when paired with grasses and daisies and...well the sky's the limit. Be sure to clip some stems to bring that beautiful neon orange color into your home for your flower arrangements.

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ECHMO