Ruby Star Coneflower

Ruby Star holds its deep rose-pink petals out flat and horizontal, which gives the flowers a broader, fuller face than most coneflowers. This native selection, Echinacea purpurea 'Ruby Star', also sold under its German name Rubinstern, grows 36 to 42 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide in full sun to part sun, hardy from Zone 3 through Zone 8. Bloom starts in early summer and runs into fall, with a dark orange-brown cone at the center of each flower. It reblooms through the season, and deadheading extends the run. The long stems cut well. This is one of the taller coneflowers, which puts it in the middle or back of a border rather than the front. The stems are stiff enough to stand without staking. Leave the last seedheads standing at the end of the season for goldfinches, and the cones hold their shape under snow. Purple coneflower takes drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, and clay once established. Full sun gives the sturdiest stems and the heaviest bloom. Deer generally leave it alone.