Ratibida columnifera - Mexican Hat

Ratibida columnifera, commonly known as the Sombrero or Mexican hat plant, has a light appearance and abundant and unusual summer flowering that irresistibly catches the eye. Its flamboyant brick red and golden yellow flowers highlight an oversized central cone. Native to the great plains of the United States, this short-lived perennial self-seeds freely. It is perfect for dynamic gardens, flowery meadows, and countryside beds. Hardy, generous, undemanding, and very water-efficient, it is easy to grow in the sun, in any not too heavy garden soil, even fairly dry in summer.

Ratibida columnifera belongs to the Asteraceae family, just like its cousin echinacea, which it resembles. In its native lands, it is called long-headed echinacea, or prairie coneflower. It is an herbaceous plant, perennial by its stump, with a lifespan of no more than 3 or 4 years. It quickly forms a clump about 75cm (30in) tall and 50cm (20in) wide, composed of numerous leafy and branched stems. The foliage persists in winter if the plant is pruned in autumn. It consists of very finely divided grey-green leaves with linear segments,. They are slightly velvety, reminiscent of cosmos. The flowering is particularly long. It renews from June to September if the soil remains somewhat moist. At the ends of the stems, brick red flowers appear. They are heads composed of a collar of velvety, trailing petals or ligules, bordered with golden yellow. In the centre, a column of fertile florets reigns, its colour ranging from pale-green to yellow and then reddish-brown. These flowers are visited by numerous butterflies and pollinating insects. The plant produces many seeds that easily germinate in light soils. They are sought after by certain birds.

Ratibida columnifera is a plant with a unique personality: both light and whimsical, it resembles nothing known. It is used in sunny beds mixed with easy and generous annuals such as nigellas, poppies, cosmos, amaranths, or centaureas. Complete the scene by mingling it with California poppies or some ornamental grasses like Stipa tenuifolia, Schizachyrium scoparium 'Blue Heaven', or Muhlenbergia capillaris. Splendid in border beds, Ratibida's whimsical and flamboyant flowers are also perfect in fresh or dried flower bouquets. Its association with the shrubby Artemisia 'Powis Castle' is superb.