In Praise of Species Coneflowers

When I started gardening in Ludicrous Speed (please see Spaceballs for that reference), I bought all kinds of pretty coneflowers in the local nurseries -- purple, white, orange, yellow, umber, red. I'm not sure any of those are still alive. Well, there is a white one.



Most of these cultivars and hybrids died out within 1-3 years; one constantly got some sort of leafspot, defoliated, and called it quits by August. Most were stunted and didn't bloom all that much. Someone once told me you shou...