Monday, November 7, 2011

Double Scoop Raspberry & Secret Joy Echinacea’s

 

This fall I planted two new Echinacea’s in the garden.
I love Echinacea for its hardiness and add them because they draw the pollinators into the garden. There are so many pretty new colors and double blooming varieties offered every year that you are bound to find at least one that will fit into your garden scheme.


FPC_Echinacea_DoubleScoopRaspberry2 Since I have had luck with the double blooming varieties I wanted to add this “Double Scoop Raspberry” to the garden.
The only Fancy Echinacea that I have really had trouble with was the “Double Decker” Echinacea. It has lost its feathered top layer after a couple of years and has reverted back to  single blooms.
So the jury is out as to whether some these new doubles will hold their double blooms in their maturity.

FPC_Echinacea_DoubleScoopRaspberry
While on a visit to Franklin Park this Fall I found “Double Scoop Raspberry” growing in their test gardens so I was able to see what it looked like up close and personal. After seeing it I knew then that I was going to love this new one  blooming in my garden next year.
The pictures here were in direct sunlight so the color may look a little washed out but be aware it is not the deep color of raspberry that is shown in the advertisement pictures of it.

FPC_Echinacea_DoubleScoopRaspberry3 Some information on Echinacea x  purpurae Double Scoop  Raspberry:
Grows best in full sun
Hardiness to Zones 5a – 9b
28 to 30 inches tall
Spreads 24 to 28 inches
Good in beds, borders or as a cut flower blooming in the summer

Other varieties from the Double Scoop family  are  “Orangeberry”  and “Bubblegum”. Double Scoop Bubblegum looks a lot like the Double Delight Echinacea.

 

Echinacea_SecretJoy
Photo Courtesy of  Direct Gardening

”Secret Joy Echinacea ” is another new double that was offered this year. I have planted two of those in the garden to try out.
The double yellow blooms is what drew my attention to this one.


I ordered these from the Direct Gardening family of nurseries and when they arrived they were both quite dead and would not come out of it so I had to have them replaced. When the replacements arrived they were not in any better shape and I am hoping the roots survive and grow. So… if you are interested in this one you may want to find other nurseries not in the Direct Gardening family which includes Royal Dutch Gardens, Burgess, Kelly Nurseries, Four Seasons Nursery, Richard Owen Nursery, Honey Oak Nursery and House of Wesley.
Direct Gardening mails their plants all thrown into a plastic bag to make everything cheaper and I understand this in today’s market.  But  your plants may arrive smashed, moldy or as mine were rotten and smashed. They do readily replace the plants but you have to have saved the actual shipping label from front of the mailing sack which list the plants enclosed.
To be fair I have gotten lilies and bare root roses from them and they grew fine but bare root roses do not have much to hurt in this mailing process. So I am just throwing this information out to you who would like to buy from them.


It looks like a fantastic few days for weather here in the hills this week so we will enjoy them while they last.

Happy Gardening,
Lona

 


 

18 comments:

Diana LaMarre said...

Hi Lona,
I am always amazed at how beautiful your echnaceas are!

Unfortunatley they don't grow well for me, but I keep trying.

Patsy said...

Would love to try this ,never had Echinacea. Like the color to.

BernieH said...

Double Scoop Raspberry ... well I just love the name for a start, but it is really lovely! The lemony yellow of Secret Joy is very cheery.

Liz said...

Hi Lona,

We don't seem to have the doubles over here; I think I've only ever seem them online and not yet in real life... I have such poor record with coneflowers even though I love them so much! They just never seem to come back; ever. I've almost given up trying but I love them too much and so do the insects :(

These Raspberries do look very nice and I think would fit nicely with my other plants!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Love 'em! I'm so thrilled with all of the crazy colors and textures in these new Coneflowers. Must add them to my list! :))

Becca's Dirt said...

I love your new babies Lona. I have received my new echinacea seeds but forgot what they are. Good info to know about a company. I ordered from Springhill Nursery, a nursery with a reputation and my plants all died except the hydrangea. The hydrangea bloomed only one bloom last year and none this year.

The Sage Butterfly said...

These made me gasp!...such beauty! They also made me hungry with the double scoop utterances.

A Garden of Threads said...

Wow, love the Secret Joy echinacea. Must look for one next season. I do not have any double because of the report from Double Decker. Enjoy the warm spell.

Anonymous said...

I have not had luck with the single coneflowers in the new color schemes so maybe I should try the doubles. I have noticed them doing well in a couple of gardens around here. Good information about the mail order nursery. There is no excuse for that even if they do replace the plants. They are probably counting on people not complaining.

Anonymous said...

I love to read experiences about ordering plants/bulbs/seeds from garden bloggers. I am curious about the new types of Echinacea. I was told they were not as reliable as the 'old' types...they arue are beauties though! I might give them ago anyway.

HolleyGarden said...

Oh, I love that color! It would go perfectly in my garden! (Spoken like a true gardener!) :) I only grow a few echinaceas. I see I may need to expand my varieties! I've heard Direct Gardening doesn't have the best reputation. Good information to know.

Anonymous said...

Wow, these Double Scoop Raspberry & Secret Joy Echinacea’s are beautiful. Never have much luck with Echinacea in my zone 7b garden. yours look lovely.

Balisha said...

What a beauty...I'll be watching next year to see this one. Good info on the nursery. Maybe if enough people complain they will change their way of shipping. Have a nice time in your garden...It will be cold soon.
Balisha

Cat said...

Those are lovely varieties. You're going to enjoy those for sure!

Anonymous said...

I'm giving up on all the fancy echinacea and sticking with the common varieties. They keep breaking my heart! Hasn't the weather been heavenly? I'm sure not getting any housework done though, I keep running outside to enjoy it.

Victoria Williams said...

Nice info on the echinacea.
By the way I'm loving your header. It's so cheerful and pretty.

RURAL said...

Oh, I am not worrying if they are double or not, it's that stunning color!!! I am in love.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Margy said...

My doubles reverted back to single also so I hope you have better luck with these. Your photos are awesome!