‘Rocky Top’ offers the garden an abundance of pastel pink coneflowers with greenish-black cones on plants 2 to 3 feet tall and 1 foot wide. Interestingly, the flowers follow the sun like sunflowers and the petals sometimes curl upward slightly. Use this compact coneflower in borders, meadows, or as cut and dried flowers. E. tennesseensis was thought to be extinct in the 1960s, but was rediscovered and is now widely available as a garden plant.
Noteworthy CharacteristicsSoutheastern U.S. native. Attracts butterflies and goldfinches.
CareGrow in full sun and poor to moderately fertile, moist soil. Can take drier soil once established. Deadhead regularly to prolong flowering, but birds love the seedheads.
PropagationSow seed indoors in spring at 55° F. Take root cuttings in late fall or early winter. Divide every few years.
ProblemsLeaf miners, powdery mildew, bacterial spots, gray mold, vine weevils.
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- Genus : Echinacea
- Plant Width : 1 to 3 feet
- Plant Height : 1 to 3 feet
- Zones : 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
- Characteristics : Attracts Bees, Attracts Birds, Attracts Pollinators, Cut flower, Deer Resistant, North American Native, Self Seeds, Showy Seed Heads
- Uses : Color, Dry areas, Foundation Plantings, Front Yard, Sun
- Tolerance : Deer Tolerant, Drought Tolerant, Frost Tolerant
- Moisture : Dry to Medium
- Bloom Time : Early Summer, Late Summer, Summer
- Light : Full Sun to Partial Shade
- Foliage Color : Green
- Maintenance : Low
- Growth Rate : Moderate
- Plant Type : North American Natives, Perennials
- Flower Color : Pink
- Plant Seasonal Interest : Summer Interest
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