Echinacea P. ‘Magnus’ 2Gal

Latin Name: Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'

Common Name: Magnus Purple Coneflower

Zones: 3–8

Height & Spread: 30–36 inches tall, spreading 12–24 inches wide

Descriptive Features: Named the Perennial Plant Association's 1998 Plant of the Year and later honored with the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, this cultivar was carefully selected over ten years by Swedish nurseryman Magnus Nilsson for its exceptionally large flowers, fine form, and dark hue. Forms an upright, clump-forming perennial with sturdy, pubescent stems and coarse, deep green, toothed foliage. Exceptionally large, 3–5 inch daisy-like flowers bloom from early to late summer, sometimes sporadically to frost, with broad rosy-purple to magenta rays held distinctively flat and horizontal rather than drooping as in most other coneflowers, surrounding a robust orange-bronze center cone. Sturdy stems typically don't require staking. Prickly seed heads persist into winter, offering architectural interest and feeding goldfinches and other songbirds if left standing. Highly adaptable to heat, drought, and poor soil once established; deer-resistant, though watch for occasional Japanese beetle, leaf spot, or aster yellows disease. One of the most widely planted and well-regarded coneflower cultivars; excellent for borders, prairies, meadows, wildflower gardens, and cutting gardens in full sun to part shade.