Echinacea 'Big Sky Sunrise' PPAF
A Dramatic Break Through Introduction for 2005 This week we are featuring a dramatic new introduction for 2005 that is sure to be much in demand, Echinacea 'Big Sky Sunrise.' Also called coneflower, Echinacea is a wildflower that is well-adapted to the hot conditions of its native region, the eastern United States and is well known for being a showy and easy to grow garden plant.
Richard Saul at Itsaul Nursery in Atlanta, has been crossing Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea paradoxa for the past ten years, resulting in some spectacular hybrids he has named the Big Sky Series. These hybrids combine the best of both parents. The Big Sky Series, in my opinion, is vastly superior to the somewhat similar Meadowbrite Series.
Beautiful Flowers with a Rose-Like Fragrance As 'Sunrise' opens, we are reminded of the sun at dawn, the fragrant blooms opening to luminous shades of soft citron or butter yellow. The broad-petalled flowers can reach up to 5 inches across with petals that are relaxed and slightly overlap. The cone in the center of the flower will begin green and gradually give way to a soft gold color. These beautiful flowers will bloom from July through October, attracting butterflies to your garden the entire time - and they are long lasting as cut flowers. Removing faded flowers will improve re-bloom or leave the old flowers in place to set seeds that attract songbirds.
'Sunrise' is a well-branched and vigorous grower that will mature into stocky plants 30 to 36 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide - a true perennial that will last for years. It will do best in an area with full sun and a well drained soil. Once established, 'Sunrise' will be very drought tolerant. Be sure that you plant your 'Sunrise' in an area where its rose-like fragrance can be enjoyed. Companion plants that will also bloom in mid-summer include Russian Sage, Stokes Aster, Veronica and Daylilies.
Planting and Care
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June
17, 2005
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Garden Club Frequently Asked
Questions Question: I have 2 dwarf Alberta spruces at the front of my house. Suddenly, one of them has turned yellow on one half of the tree. I seem to recall hearing that these trees are subject to some kind of mite and maybe Sevin can be used. Is this correct? Also, both trees have lost a lot of the bottom limbs over the past couple years. They seemed to have died off. Is this normal because they have lost their beautiful shape? Answer: Your Alberta Spruces probably have mites and have had them for several years -- that is probably why the bottom branches died off. To test for mites, hold a piece of white typing paper under some branches and tap the branch. If you see very tiny cinnamon-colored insects on the paper, you have mites. Spray to the dripping stage with insecticidal soap monthly until the end of October. Question: I have two Flowering Quince shrubs that I got from you several years ago. This year they had more than 50 pieces of fruit on them. I just pulled them off as I figured the weight of the mature fruit would bend or break the branches. Last year they only had about 5 quinces which got to be quite large, like a good size apple. Did I do correct to pull them off? Is there anything to be done to discourage them from bearing fruit? They really are beautiful shrubs so I don't want to lose them. I am also enjoying the magnolias, roses, and hydrangeas that I got from you a few years ago.Answer: Flowering quinces normally bear some fruit; the larger the plant -- the more fruit. There are sprays that prevent fruit set, but I doubt you need them. Pull off the fruit or leave it be; it's your choice based solely upon appearance, as the fruit is a natural occurrence and will not harm the bush. Question: Alan, I have heard you recommend Remuda to kill weeds. I couldn't find any in our local stores. Is there something else I can use? Answer: Quick Kill is a good alternative. It is slightly more expensive and not quite as effective. But it is certainly good.
Question: I have heard that you are are the rose expert. Maybe
you can help me with two questions. My neighbor and I have both lived in
our homes for over 20 years and we both have the same rose. It was here
before we moved in. She took a flower to the botanical garden and they
said it was
New Dawn. It is a beautiful rose and it climbs all around
the fence surrounding our property. But hers blooms several times during
the year and mine blooms only once. Because of the demand, New Dawn was over propagated. As a result, certain plants that were sold as New Dawn did not have the re-blooming characteristic and thus were really Dr. Van Fleet. The third possibility is that you have some of these mis-propagated plants, which were sold as New Dawn but really are the once-blooming Dr. Van Fleet. To the best of my knowledge, for the past 5 years at least, all New Dawn Roses sold in the United States have been true to name and do re-bloom. Second Question: There is a rose planted around our town hall, it blooms several times a year with medium sized double light pink blooms, a little darker than New Dawn but really not a dark pink. It grows about 3-4 feet tall and it's real bushy. It gets practically no care and I have never seen anyone spray or water it. But even so it blooms beautifully. I know there are a lot of roses but do you have any idea what it might be? It has been there for at least 10 years. Answer: The rose you are describing sounds to me like Bonica. Please check the pictures on our web site and see if we have a match.Third Question: Hi Alan, it is the rose lady again. I checked the website and I believe we do have a match. It looks like Bonica. I have been trying to find out what that rose is for about 5 years and no one could help me. You guys are real good. Do you have any in stock and is it too late to plant? Answer: We have some Bonica in stock in pots. We can take them out of the pots and ship them to you tomorrow and it is absolutely not too late to plant. Enjoy your new roses! Question: I was given some potted flowering chrysanthemums for my birthday about a month ago. Now that the blooms have passed can I plant them in the garden? Answer: Most spring flowering mums are greenhouse grown and not winter hardy, but you can cut the mums back about halfway and plant them now and they almost certainly will re-bloom in the fall. Your chrysanthemums are probably not winter hardy, but at least you'll get one more bloom out of them. Question: I bought the hardy passion flower (Passiflora incarnata) from you folks last year and I thought it was dead because it wasn't coming back this year. I never got around to calling for a replacement and today I discovered it is sprouting up nicely from below the soil. Does hardy passion flower always come up this late? Answer: Yes, hardy passion flower is one of the last plants to sprout in your garden. It comes up late, but it still blooms every year.
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