14 Colorful Coneflowers to Brighten Your Summer Garden

Looking for tough, drought resistant perennials – think about Coneflowers Summer Garden. Long blooming Summer color. A true workhorse, the native coneflower delivers awesome colors once established. 

If you are crazy for coneflowers as we are, you’ll love these coneflower selections. Coneflowers are not only trouble free but long blooming for your Summer Garden. Coneflowers are easy to grow and easy to care for. No fuss plant care once established. Coneflowers, also known as Echinacea, can pretty much be ignored once they are established but why would you want to when they are so beautiful? In the middle of a hot summer day, there is nothing like watching butterflies bounce from bloom to bloom across the various coneflowers we have in our garden. The gracefulness of the butterflies landing carefully to drink nectar from our coneflowers. We enjoy watching them float by while we quickly count the different varieties that we see.

Native coneflowers are truly a perfect perennial. They are cold hardy, can tolerate cold temperatures as well as heat and humidity. Once they are established, coneflowers are tough and drought tolerant. Many are resistant to disease and deer. Coneflowers attract bees, butterflies, and birds. They bloom repeatedly, and come in a variety of colors. If you are a coneflower lover then you’ll love these colorful coneflower selections. And the added benefit is you’ll have hummingbirds and butterflies humming over your Summer garden. Take a look and let us know what you think.

 

1. Echinacea Pink Shimmer

Pink Shimmer Echinacea has luminous rose pink blooms. An upright perennial with 3 to 5 inch blooms. An impressive choice for a tall border. Pink Shimmer has a tidy habit and clean bright green foliage. Plant in masses for extra sizzling display. Grows in zones 5 to 9 in full Sun. Tops out at 36 inches tall and 16 inches wide. Blooms in the Summer through Fall. Resistant to cold temperatures, heat temperatures, and drought conditions. Resistant to deer and rabbits.  

 

2.  Sombrero Lemon Yellow Echinacea improved

Sombrero Lemon Yellow improved has bright, energetic blooms! Lemon Yellow has light gold to yellow blooms with dark green foliage. An upright perennial that blooms late Spring until late Summer. Grows in zones 4 to 9 in full Sun. Reaches between 18 to 20 inches tall and 22 to 24 inches wide. Deer resistant Lemon Yellow attracts butterflies. Plant in normal or loamy soil that is moist and well-draining. Perfect for garden beds, borders, and containers. Can be used as a source of fresh cut flowers.

 

3.  Echinacea Sombrero Adobe Orange

Adobe Orange has petals that rich, burnt-umber orange with a pointed brown cone. Long lasting blooms are 2½ to 3 inches wide. Downturned petals accommodate butterflies and bees in summer! Birds come feed of the cone seeds. A compact upright that grows in zones 4 to 9 in full Sun. Tops out at 22 to 24 inches tall and 18 to 20 wide. The native echinacea withstands heat, humidity, poor soil, and even drought. Resistance to pests and diseases. Easy to grow Adobe Orange is a fine cut-flower. Endlessly beautiful and useful, a must-have for any sun-soaked garden spot.   

 

4.  Sombrero Hot Coral Echinacea

Hot Coral Sombrero has shades of warm orange-pink blooms. Blooms from late Spring to late Summer. Blooms range from pinkish oranges with salmon, peach and coral. A compact, free-flowering Echinacea that grows in zones 4 to 9 in full Sun. Reaches a height of 16 to 22 inches and 24 inches wide. Hardy Echinacea attracts butterflies and birds through the Autumn months. Easy to grow and tolerates heat humidity, drought, and poor soil conditions.

 

5.  Echinacea PowWow Wild Berry 

PowWow Wild Berry has dark rose, magenta, and purple shade of blooms with stunning orange cone heads and dark green foliage. Compact and upright Wild Berry blooms from early Summer to mid Fall. Grows in zones 3 to 9 in full Sun. Tops out at 20 to 24 inches tall and 12 to 16 inches wide. Versatile and dependable, this echinacea delivers long lasting blooms. Attracts butterflies and bees to the Summer blooms. Attracts birds to the seed-filled cones in the Autumn and Winter months. Tolerates cold and heat, humidity, and drought conditions. Likes well draining soil but performs in clay, normal, loamy, poor, or sandy soils. Plant in garden beds, borders, or in containers. Ideal for cut flowers.  

 

6.  Pow Wow White Echinacea 

Pow Wow White Echinacea has pure white flowers with golden centers. The blooms are a sensational explosion 3 to 4 inches wide flowers. Blooms from early to late summer. Grows in zones 3 to 8 in full Sun. Tops out at 20 to 24 inches tall with a 12 to 16 inch spread. Dense branching and profuse bloomer. Resistant to cold and heat temperatures. Both deer and rabbit resistant, Pow Wow White is looks stunning in garden beds and borders. A perfect cut flower for arrangements.  

 

7. Green Jewel Coneflower 

Green Jewel Coneflower has unusual green blooms for interest to the garden. Blooms from June to August. Grows in zones 4 to 9 in full Sun to part Sun and part shade. Reaches 20 to 24 in height with a spread of 12 to 36 inches wide. Tolerates poor soil, drought, and heat conditions. Echinacea purpurea ‘Green Jewel’ is striking.

 

8.  Double Scoop Bubblegum Echinacea  

Hardy Double Scoop Bubblegum Echinacea has pretty pink bubble gum blooms. Blooms from the Summer into the Fall. Grows in zones 4 to 9 in full to Sun. Tops out at 22 to 24 inches with a spread of 18 to 20 inches wide. Tolerant of drought and poor soil conditions. Resistant to wind, cold and heat temperatures, and humidity. Deer and rabbit resistant, Double Scoop Bubblegum delivers deep pink blooms framed by baby pink, flared ray petals. Ideal in garden beds, borders, or even in a container. Use blooms in cut floral arrangements or as dried flowers.  

 

9.  Green Envy Echinacea 

Green Envy Echinacea purpurea has light green fading to pink daisy like blooms with dark green foliage. Blooms from July to September. Grows in zones 3 to 9 in full Sun. Reaches 30 to 36 inches tall with an 18 to 24 wide spread. Blooms change from green to pink and is a fast grower. Grows in either normal, sandy, or clay soil. Attracts bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and birds. Easy to grow Green Envy is deer and rabbit resistant.

 

10.  Echinacea Pink Double Delight

Pink Double Delight Echinacea has gorgeous hot pink blooms. Blooms through the Summer. Grows in zones 5 to 9 in full Sun. Tops out at 24 to 28 inches tall with a spread of 18 to 24 inches wide. An excellent cutting flower, Pink Double Delight thrives in intense heat and humidity. Deer and rabbit resistant. Tolerant of cold and heat temperatures and drought conditions. Plant these gorgeous coneflowers in garden beds and along garden borders.

 

11. Ruby Giant Echinacea

Fragrant Ruby Giant Echinacea purpurea has huge 7 inch rose-red blooms with dark green foliage. Blooms from Summer into the Fall season. Grows in zones 3 to 8 in full Sun or part Sun and part shade. Topping out at 24 to 30 inches tall with a 20 to 24 inch spread. Ruby Giant likes a well drained soil garden area. Ideal for cut flowers. With its sweet fragrance and rich colored blooms, butterflies, hummingbirds, and birds are drawn to these spectacular flowers.

 

12.  Colorbrust Orange Echinacea 

Fragrant Colorburst Orange has full double tangerine orange pompons with a chocolate brown center. The central eye turns from brown to green to orange. Grows in zones 4 to 9 in full Sun. Reaches about 26 inches tall with a spread of 22 inches. Attracts butterflies and birds to its magnificent fragrant blooms. Native coneflower is easy to care for and long lasting blooms. A compact hardy perennial that likes soil that is normal, clay, or loamy. Tolerates poor soils, drought conditions, heat, and humidity. Deer, disease, and pest resistant. Plant Colorburst Orange in garden borders or in containers.  

 

13.  Golden Skipper Butterfly Echinacea 

Golden Skipper Butterfly has light yellow, lemon-yellow to dark gold blooms with a yellow-brown cone center. This compact, colorful coneflower blooms from Summer into Fall. Native vigor and pollinator magnetism! Grows in zones 5 to 9 in full Sun. Reaching between 15 to 18 inches tall with a spread of 18 to 24 inches wide. Birds and butterflies are attracted to Golden Skipper. Ideal to plant in garden borders and use as cut flowers.     

 

14.  Aloha Coneflower 

Aloha Coneflower has creamy orange-and-yellow blooms. Aloha blooms from Summer into Fall. One of the Prairie Pillar series that is long blooming. Grows in zones 4 to 10 in full Sun. Tops out at 28 inches with a spread of 32 inches wide. A native and fragrant coneflower. Attracts birds, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Hardy Aloha is tolerant of heat, humidity, and drought conditions. Resistant to pests, disease, and deer. Grows in soils that are normal, clay, loamy, and sandy. Tolerates poor soil conditions as well. Plant Aloha in garden borders or containers. Makes an excellent cut flower.  

 

If you have an area of your garden that needs brightening during the Summer, consider using coneflowers. There are many varieties available. And many colors of coneflowers to select from. Before long, you too will have a coneflower crush for these easy to grow and care for perennials. If you try any of these coneflowers let us know how you make out.

For information on deer resistant perennials read our post Deer Resistant Perennials: Stop Planting All-You-Can-Eat Garden Buffets and for growing perennials from seeds post 21 Gorgeous Garden Plants to Grow from Seeds. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us in the comments below. We always are ready to help you out.