At least for Baby Boomers, the color of 'Tomato Soup' will recall the childhood comfort of Mom serving lunch. We admit to liking the soup still, but we would admire this Coneflower even if it had another name. The warm reddish flowers are big (to 5in across) and offer new possibilities for garden combinations. The plants themselves are well branched and vigorous. PP 19,427
Echinacea, a North American genus in the Daisy family, has big, bright flowers that appear from late June until frost. Coneflowers thrive in average soils or hot, dry conditions and shrug off cold. Blooms last well, cut or dried, and the seeds in the large cone at the heart of the flower head provide nourishment for birds.
