Back in the early 1990s there was a problem with Coneflowers down in Georgia.    

Well, not a problem if you grew them in your garden, but a problem if you were a nursery keeping plants in pots over the winter. And that meant there was a supply problem with Coneflowers down in Georgia.    

While the cooler climates of more northern regions are perfect for Echinacea purpurea it doesn't take so well to the southern winters, so Richard Saul decided he wanted to do something about that.    

While Echinacea purpurea is desirable for most gardeners because of its sturdy stems and branching habit, its wirier yellow-flowered cousin Echinacea paradoxa is more suited to the southern climate. So Richard figured that if he could get a balanced cross between the two then he would have a plant with both southern hardiness and a desirable habit.

At that time the incredible colour mixes that would also occur was beyond his dreams!

The seedlings from the first set of crossings yielded E. 'Paranoia', a yellow variety that showed some E. pupurea traits.

Happy to have proved that the cross could achieve the desired effect, Richard kept selecting seedlings and re-crossing over and over again until the remarkable plants now released as the 'Big Sky' series started to emerge.

Selected out of the third generation of crosses, E. 'After Midnight's genetic makeup is so complex that the ratio of its chance of its emergence too big to even contemplate!

Echinacea 'After Midnight'

E. 'After Midnight' is the darkest Coneflower known to date, with petals, stems and foliage all contributing to its claim.

The dark blue-green foliage, in itself a novelty in Echinacea, provides an appealing backdrop to the rich purple-pink flowers to create a unique overall image.

But there's more to this lovely variety than colour alone as its thick stems and compact habit also give it a distinctive character.