Ratibida columnifera Pulcherrima - Mexican Hat

The Ratibida columnifera var Pulcherrima, commonly known as the Sombrero or Mexican Hat, is a plant with a light appearance, abundant and unusual summer flowering that irresistibly catches the eye; flamboyant in brick red and golden yellow, its flowers exhibit an oversized central cone.  Spontaneous in the great plains of the United States, this short-lived perennial that readily self-seeds is perfect for dynamic gardens, flowery meadows, and countryside beds. Hardy, generous, undemanding, and very water-efficient, it is easy to grow in the sun, in any garden soil that is not too heavy, even quite dry in summer.

The Ratibida columnifera Pulcherrima belongs to the asteraceae family, just like its cousin the echinacea, which it resembles. In its native lands, it is called long-headed echinacea, or prairie coneflower in English. It is a herbaceous plant, perennial from its stump, with a lifespan of no more than 3 or 4 years. It quickly forms a clump about 75 cm (30in) tall and 50 cm (20in) wide, composed of numerous branched leafy stems. The foliage persists in winter if the plant is pruned in the autumn. It consists of very finely divided leaves with linear segments of gray-green colour, slightly velvety, somewhat reminiscent of cosmos leaves. The flowering of Ratibida Pulcherrima is particularly long; it renews from June to September if the soil remains somewhat moist. At the tips of the stems, flowers in heads open, composed of a collar of velvety, trailing ligulate petals of intense brick red colour, more or less bordered with golden yellow. In the center, there is a column of fertile florets whose colour changes from pale green to yellow and then to reddish-brown. These flowers are visited by numerous butterflies and pollinating insects. The plant produces many seeds that easily germinate in light soils. They are sought after by certain birds.

The Ratibida columnifera Pulcherrima is a plant with a unique personality; both light and whimsical, it resembles nothing known. It is used in sunny beds mixed with easy and generous annuals such as love-in-a-mist, poppies, cosmos, amaranths, or cornflowers. Complete the scene by mixing in some California poppies or a few ornamental grasses like Stipa tenuifolia, Schizachyrium scoparium Blue Heaven, Muhlenbergia capillaris. Splendid in border beds, the whimsical and flamboyant flowers of Ratibida are also perfect in fresh or dried flower arrangements. Its combination with Powis Castle artemisia is superb!