Coneflower (Echinacea 'Orange You Awesome')

Overview

Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’ is a striking herbaceous perennial celebrated for its vibrant, bicolored blooms that electrify the summer garden. This modern Coneflower cultivar showcases 4.5-inch wide flowers featuring bright orange ray florets transitioning from rich, red-tinted bases surrounding pronounced dark cones. As an adaptable and low-maintenance addition, this plant provides excellent, long-lasting color from early summer through mid-summer.

The key value of Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’ lies in its robust performance and strong pollinator appeal. It thrives in conditions that challenge less vigorous plants, demonstrating notable tolerance to heat, humidity, and poor soils. Gardeners appreciate this Coneflower not just for its aesthetic contributions but also its functional beauty, as the spent heads offer winter interest and valuable bird forage.

This particular hybrid is a workhorse, maturing to about 1.75 feet tall with a neat 1.5-foot spread, making it perfect for adding vertical structure without dominating the border. Plan to incorporate Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’ into your sunny perennial beds to enjoy its reliable display and support local insect life.

Fast Facts

• Plant Family: Asteraceae
• Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
• Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 4-8
• Size at Maturity:
  • Height: 1.5-1.75 ft
  • Spread: 1.25-1.5 ft
• Bloom Time: June to August
• Bloom Description: Orange and red bicolor
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Water Needs: Dry to medium
• Maintenance Level: Low

How to Grow

The best time to plant container-grown Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’ is typically in the spring after the danger of hard frost has passed, or in early fall. Ensure the planting site receives full sun for the most prolific flowering, though it can tolerate a little afternoon shade. This adaptable plant prefers average, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils, handling clay and rocky conditions surprisingly well.

Once established, care for this Coneflower is minimal. While newly planted specimens require consistent water to establish strong roots, mature plants are highly drought-tolerant. Fertilizing is usually unnecessary in average garden soils, as rich conditions tend to encourage floppy growth rather than robust blooms. Plants rebloom reliably, but prompt removal of spent flowers encourages continued blooming and maintains overall garden tidiness.

Divide clumps of Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’ only when they become overcrowded, usually about every four years, to maintain vigor. Avoid excessive pruning during the growing season. Leaving the dead flower stems standing erect well into winter is recommended, as the persistent cones provide excellent winter texture and seeds for visiting goldfinches.

Landscape Uses

The upright structure and vibrant coloration of Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’ make it an excellent choice for defining the middle or back of perennial borders. Its strong form works well when massed together, creating a significant block of color that truly stands out against silvery foliage or deep green backgrounds. This coneflower also excels as an accent specimen when you need reliable height and color in a rock garden setting.

Beyond traditional borders, the durability of this plant allows it to integrate seamlessly into more naturalistic designs, such as open woodland gardens where dappled light is present, or in mixed shrub borders. Because it handles drought and poor soil, it is an ideal candidate for low-water or xeriscaping projects where other flowering perennials might falter.

When planning pairings, consider companions that enjoy similar sun and soil needs, such as ornamental grasses, Russian Sage, or Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia). The rich orange and red tones of this specific Coneflower cultivar contrast beautifully with blues and purples, leading to dynamic visual interest throughout the summer months.

Standout Features

Flower Qualities

• Showy
• Fragrant
• Good Cut
• Good Dried

Noteworthy Characteristics

Echinacea is a genus of seven species all endemic to eastern and central North America, and Coneflowers bloom from June to August with some sporadic later bloom. Attractive to butterflies and other insect pollinators, this is a good fresh cut or dried flower. ‘Orange You Awesome’ is a hybrid coneflower cultivar that features 4.5” wide, fragrant, blooms on well-branched stems with dark center cones surrounded by orange ray florets with red tinted bases. This robust plant is protected by patent number PP32105.

Tolerances

• Deer
• Drought
• Clay Soil
• Dry Soil
• Shallow-Rocky Soil

Potential Problems

All coneflowers are susceptible to aster yellows, a disease that causes yellowing and excessive proliferation of plant parts, often leading to stunted and distorted growth. Fungal and bacterial leaf spots are also common concerns, particularly in humid conditions or if air circulation is poor. Preventative cultural care, such as providing full sun and well-drained soil, is the best defense against these issues. Be vigilant for pests like erythroid mites and Japanese beetles, which may chew on the foliage or flowers of your Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’.

Frequently Asked Questions

What hardiness zones is Coneflower suitable for?

Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’ is reliably hardy in USDA Zones 4 through 8.

How large does Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’ grow?

This cultivar typically reaches a height between 1.5 and 1.75 feet, with a spread ranging from 1.25 to 1.5 feet at maturity.

What sun exposure does Coneflower need?

For optimal performance and the best color display from Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’, full sun exposure is highly recommended, although it tolerates partial shade.

When does Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’ bloom?

This Coneflower produces its distinctive orange and red bicolor blooms primarily from June through August.

Conclusion

Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’ provides exceptional garden value by combining low maintenance requirements with brilliant, long-lasting summer color and notable ecological benefits. Incorporating this striking Coneflower into your landscape ensures you benefit year after year from its drought tolerance and vibrant floral display. Before planting, confirm that your site provides the necessary full sun exposure and well-drained conditions to support this beautiful perennial.

Companion Planting

When selecting neighbors for Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’, focus on species that share a preference for full sun and dry to medium moisture tolerance. Plants with contrasting textures—such as fine-leaved ornamental grasses like Stipa or Calamagrostis—create excellent visual foil for the sturdy, upright habit of the Coneflower. Alternatively, consider pairing it with silvery foliage plants like Lamb’s Ears (Stachys byzantina) or other prairie natives such as Gayfeather (Liatris) for a classically robust cottage garden look.

Wildlife Benefits

One of the standout benefits of growing Echinacea ‘Orange You Awesome’ is its significant contribution to pollinator health. The large, accessible central cones are a magnet for butterflies, native bees, and other beneficial insects seeking nectar throughout the summer. Furthermore, leaving the flower heads intact after the growing season provides crucial late-season food sources, as the seeds are highly attractive to goldfinches and other seed-eating birds.