Echinacea purpurea Lakota Orange - Purple Coneflower

Echinacea 'Lakota Orange', from the Artisan series, is a variety of Echinacea that forms a well-branched plant of medium size and bears a vibrant flowering throughout the summer on sturdy stems and medium green foliage. The flowers, like large daisies, open in a bright orange and gradually fade to wither, creating a range of this beautiful warm hue, from the brightest to the softest. Its petals surround a voluminous cone. It enlivens borders, sunny edges or flowering pots from the first year and makes beautiful long-lasting bouquets.

Echinacea purpurea 'Lakota Orange' belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is a horticultural hybrid resulting, among others, from Echinacea purpurea, native to the western United States, from Georgia to Michigan via Oklahoma and Ohio. This perennial, with a strong character, confidently colonizes rocky meadows, savannas, clear undergrowth and roadside edges in its natural environment. 'Lakota Orange' has a sturdy, bushy, upright and dense habit, reaching a height of 50 to 70cm (20 to 28in) with an equivalent width. The lanceolate, opposite, green leaves are covered in rough hairs. Flowering is renewed from July to September, it is slightly fragrant and highly visited by butterflies. The ramified flower stalks are topped with a solitary head, measuring 10 to 12cm (4 to 5in) in diameter, with a prominent, bristly, brown-green disk with orange reflections, surrounded by a collar of horizontal or slightly drooping ligules of bright orange colour. The fruit is an achene that releases seeds which birds are fond of. This plant anchors firmly and deeply in the soil thanks to its highly developed root system.

Echinacea 'Lakota Orange' is a very resistant plant that adapts to difficult conditions, occasionally tolerating intense heat, humidity and drought. Its remarkably colourful flowering brings dynamism and cheerfulness to borders. Combine it with flowers of similar colours but different shapes, such as foxgloves, yarrows, daylilies, Monardas. Its warm colours are beautifully complemented by the golden or pink spikes of ornamental grasses like Stipa tenuifolia, Schizachyrium scoparium or Muhlenbergia capillaris. Its vibrant association with another foliage plant, common lady's mantle, is superb. Lastly, it brightens up fresh or dried flower bouquets.