Echinacea purpurea Cheyenne Spirit - Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea 'Cheyenne Spirit' is a medium-sized variety of Echinacea, notable for its varied-coloured flowers: bright yellow, yellow-orange, orange, medium pink, orange-red, scarlet red. Produced from sowing, the flowering of each plant is different, as is its height. Its large head-like flowers are centered on a prominent, well-rounded, and bristly brown cone. Vigorous and multi-award-winning, this variety brings life to flower beds and sunny borders or flowering pots like few perennials can. It is also a very resistant plant that adapts to difficult conditions, occasionally tolerating intense heat, humidity, and drought.

Echinacea purpurea 'Cheyenne Spirit' belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is a horticultural creation originating from, among others, the Echinacea purpurea, native to the western United States, from Georgia to Michigan, passing through Oklahoma and Ohio. This perennial, with a strong character, fearlessly colonizes rocky meadows, savannas, open woodlands, and road edges in its natural habitat. 'Cheyenne Spirit' has a solid, bushy, upright, and dense habit, reaching approximately 60cm (24in) in height and 35cm (14in) in width. The green, lanceolate, opposite leaves are covered in rough hairs. Flowering takes place from July to September, and it is slightly fragrant and highly visited by butterflies. The branched stems are topped with a solitary head-like inflorescence, measuring 10 to 12cm (4 to 5in) in diameter, with a prominent, bristly, brown disc surrounded by slightly trailing ligules in various colours depending on the plants: bright yellow, yellow-orange, orange, medium pink, orange-red, scarlet red. The fruit is an achene that releases seeds that birds enjoy. This plant firmly and deeply anchors itself in the soil through its well-developed root system.

Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit' brings joy to butterflies, and its remarkably colourful flowering brings a lot of dynamism and cheerfulness to flower beds. Play with similar-coloured but different-shaped flowers, such as those of the Digitalis or Achillea. The diversity of its colours beautifully complements ornamental grasses like Stipa tenuifolia, Schizachyrium scoparium, or Muhlenbergia capillaris with its pink spikes. Its beautiful colours brighten up fresh or dried flower bouquets. It looks superb when combined with Common Lady's Mantle!