Echinacea 'kim's mophead'
From LoveToKnow Garden
Echinacea 'kim's mophead' is a distinctive looking Echinacea variety that is a wonderful addition to any wildflower garden or informal garden setting.
About Echinacea 'kim's mophead'
'Kim's mophead' is a popular variety of Echinacea that has white or near-white blooms with rather jagged-edged petals and a greenish yellow center. The flower gets its name because of these white blooms that look somewhat like curly hair.
The leaves of the plant are very green and herbaceous, with just a bit of that same jagged edge that is seen on the flower petals.
Echinacea 'kim's mophead' generally grows to 12 to 18 inches in height, making it a little smaller than come of the other Echinacea varieties out there. They usually spread one or two feet and should be planted about 18 inches apart. It is hardy in planting zones 3 to 9, meaning that most people throughout the United States can enjoy this fun plant.
Like most other Echinaceas, this one should be planted in full sun for the best blooms. Treated well, your 'kim's mophead' will bloom from midsummer all the way to mid-fall. It needs to be watered regularly but doesn't like having really wet roots, so be careful not to over water.
This Echinacea does well in neutral to alkaline soils. It is quite attractive to bees, birds and butterflies, and is a great addition to a butterfly garden.
Plants may be propagated by division or grown from seed, which can either be direct sown in the fall or started indoors in the spring. Since it's small, it's a good choice for the front of garden beds. In addition, because it's white, it will make all the colored flowers around it pop.
Planning an Echinacea Garden
Now is a wonderful time to be a fan of the cheerful coneflowers. It seems like there are more and more varieties every season, from the classic purple and ruby Echinaceas to Echinacea Sunrise and Sunset, two stunning plants that have yellow and orange blooms, respectively, not to mention the pure white of Echinacea 'kim's mophead'.
Echinacea plants are a great addition to a mixed flower bed, but since there are so many different choices in the Echinacea world today, why not consider a whole bed devoted to these fun flowers?
The key is to try not to make it look to organized, because the plants likely will mix on their own with the help of birds who scatter the seeds. Your perfectly planned color scheme will be reorganized by nature in a matter of just a few years.
One fun way to plan a bed full of different colors of Echinacea plants is to plant them much like you might spring-blooming bulbs. Just pick up a plant at random and put it in the bed at random, not paying any attention to color or which plants are ending up next to each other.
When all your plants are blooming at once in a riot of disorganized color, you'll be glad you went with a natural look. This will be much easier for you to maintain and will be more fun to look at because it is wild and colorful, just like nature intended.
Sources for Echinacea
Several different varieties of Echinacea may be available form garden supply shops where you live, but if you want to devote a mass planting area to the lovely coneflower, you might need a mail order or Internet source. Here are a few to consider:
- Wayside Gardens
- White Flower Farm
- Always Green Nursery
- Horizon Herbs Echinacea seeds
Echinacea is a great plant to grow because it is relatively easy to maintain if you plant it in the right spot (sunny, well-drained soil). It's one perennial that will keep you happy year after year. With all the new varieties of Echinacea plants out there, in a wonderful range of colors, you'll wish you had room in your garden for more of the different Echinacea varieties.
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