I love their blooms, but to me, the plant itself isn't much to brag about, so I tend to interplant them with other things that they look nice with, but which hide their "bare feet". I only grow the pink ones, Magnus and Ruby Star, I think, and I have drifts of them planted behind Pink roses (Nearly Wild) whose blooms echo the colors of the echinaceas, and whose shrubs give them something to lean on if they need support.

You could do the same thing by planting your echinaceas behind say, Daylilies, whose blooms would match or contrast with the blooms of the echinaceas.

Nanny56:

This year I tried Echinacea for the first time. Behind them (closest to the house) I planted hollyhocks, then the 'Bravado' echinacea and in the front vinca and petunias. So far I like the effect. Of course next year I will probably move everything all around but this year I like that combination.

Hope this helps.

Kate

I just plant them all together, trying to get a mass effect. I have Magnus and Ruby Star. I had a sundown but it died mysteriously, if you can believe that. I also have a White Swan, which I love! Rudbekias look good with Echinacea in my opinion, since they are so similiar in form. The combination makes for good bee and butterfuly magnets too.

greenthumb102, you're not alone. Those plants died for me too. The Big Sky Series has been a big disappointment for me. I just hope someone comes out with healthy versions of them.

Good grief forgot about this thread! This the thread I got the message from in my email!

For a deep pink/rose harmonic scheme:

I use echinacea 'Ruby Star' with spirea 'Neon Flash', monarda 'Blue Stockings', nepeta 'Dawn to Dusk', tall garden phlox in deep pink, purple milkweed, crepe myrtle 'White Chocolate' and pink muhly.

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In the butterfly garden, I mix up yellow, purple, orange, blue, red.

These plants work as companions with just about any other bloom color in my garden:

Agastache 'Blue Fortune'
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Nepeta 'Walkers Low' (behind the lavender here)
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Nepeta with gaillardia (could use any coneflower instead)
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tall verbena (this was taken before other plants emerged this spring) I have this throughout my butterfly garden with coneflowers.

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Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: my gardening blog

I know this is odd, but by accident one year I planted curly parsley next to my echinacea, either Ruby or Magnus. And was very surprised when I discover what a nice combination it was! So now I pop parsley in amoungst my echinacea every year.

Jenny P

My garden is too small for mass plantings of anything, so instead I group them with like colored flowers of varying shapes.

This is Echinacea 'Summer Sky' with Agastache 'Apache Sunset':

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... and here is Echinacea 'Sunrise' with Solidago 'Fireworks':

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I'm still working on combinations for 'Harvest Moon' and 'Sundown'. Maybe I'll have some photos later in the season.

Bonnie