The Sombrero series of coneflowers come in a wide range of colors from red and pink to orange and white. I grow more than one variety but the showy ‘Lemon Yellow,’ a large flower that provides a vivid floral display in the cutting garden is a winner. Oh my, what a wonderful compact Echinacea hybrid for a compact garden like mine!

The flowers stand about 2-feet high above sturdy stems with nice green foliage that extends to the base of the plant.  And like all coneflowers, the Sombrero series is adaptable to a wide range of garden conditions… drought, heat, humidity and poor soil.

The ‘Lemon Yellow’ is not only a showstopper in the garden, the bees, the butterflies and all our hummingbirds spend 3 months feasting on the nectar rich blooms. I deadhead some the flowers to encourage more blooms, but the dried seedheads provide food for our dwindling population of birds during the winter. I leave a good number of blooms on the plants for them.

And the best news of all…. the bunnies have not put these flowers on their dinner menu. How sweet is that??