Every so often, here on my RHS New Plants blog, I like to give you glimpse into the future. We haven’t done that for quite a while, so here goes. We’ve seen an unseemly rush of new echinaceas in recent years – some superb, some not so… These two unnamed echinaceas will be named later in the year and will be available to gardeners… well, probably another couple of years after that. It takes time, even using the latest tissue culture laboratory techniques, to propagate enough to sell.
Spotted at a show in France by Dutch perennials wizard Luc Klinkhamer (they’re his pictures – thank you, Luc), the all-green flowered plant with its multiple rows of petals is a double selection of ‘Green Jewel. It’s going to be an essential for cut flower growers. And the extraordinary colouring of the strawberry blonde double (left, click to enlarge) – it looks like Cornish ice cream drizzled in raspberry juice. And as long as it has good strong stems to support those fat double flowers that is going to be sought after too.
I’ll let you now when they’re available…
And next time, here on my RHS New Plants blog, I’ll be looking back over the last few years to see which new plants have captured the most attention.
Editor-in-Chief of the RHS Encyclopedia of Perennials; writer for a wide range of newspapers and magazines including The Garden and The Plantsman; member of the RHS Herbaceous Plant Committee and Floral Trials Committee; author of many books on plants and gardens.
Source: RHS My Garden – New Echinaceas On the Way – Graham Rice
