GARDENING

Norman Winter

The Garden Guy

The first instant I saw the coneflower, I thought it was one in a million with its giant, five-inch plus golden blooms. (At first, it reminded me of a gloriosa daisy.)

This beautiful, new Color Coded, One in a Melon coneflower will make its debut next year.

Last week, I talked about the new Double Coded or double coneflowers Butter Pecan and Raspberry Beret, but at my house, the wild kingdom is being played out on the Color Coded, One in a Melon plants.

I was only able to rustle up one plant in early spring for my trials. It was like having a juicy sirloin strip and only getting one bite, oh, I wanted more, as I could tell this coneflower had the possibility of being one for the ages. It is a thoroughbred in all aspects. It is tall, reaching 24 to 26-inches with a 20-inch spread. The flowers are huge, with many exceeding 5 inches.

The summer was one of heat index misery, but they persisted, just like the flaming Color Coded, Orange You Awesome variety. Later on, I was able to come up with about a half dozen more plants to temper my plant lusting. One in a Melon is special in its color progression. It starts off golden orange and matures to the melon or a vibrant butter yellow. While we often use the term fade, reflecting a loss of color, in the case of One in a Melon, its mature color is just as beautiful and complements the new emerging blossoms.

As The Garden Guy was hoping, the flowers turned their spot in the garden into a small but beautiful Serengeti for pollinators and, yes, those who eat them.

(Side note: I often laugh at gardeners on my pollinator social sites that holler or cry about a raptor-like bird swooping in to devour a butterfly. While they implore others on how to prevent this, I’m always wanting to answer ‘How Lucky You Are’.)

The Color Coded echinacea series has been a champion at bringing in an assortment of bees, and butterflies like monarchs, swallowtails, buckeyes, hairstreaks, sulphurs, and more. Then there are the hunters like the Green Anole lizards, just waiting for their version of the happy meal. Leaving some seed pods brings another wonderment of nature close at hand. With the stealthlike arrival of the bright yellow American Goldfinch to pick the seeds, you’ll promise to yourself and nature, you will always grow coneflowers.

Color Coded, One in a Melon is joined in 2023 by Color Coded, The Fuchsia is Bright. This coneflower is just a little shorter but boasts fragrance along with colorful fuchsia and pink flowers. Coneflowers are easy to grow, they need plenty of sun and well drained soil. The soil need not be luxuriant, but a winter bog simply will not work.

My first Color Coded coneflowers were planted in 2019. So, this is my fourth year. If they croaked tomorrow, I would say they have been great. But they are about to put on another big flush of blooms, which is going to be perfect timing for peak butterfly season.

I don’t know if you are like me, but I always have a spot or two somewhere in the landscape that starts off with a great plan or design but the appropriation of more plants that couldn’t be passed up, magically transforms the area into one for the memory books. Add beautiful butterflies and you’ll find yourself sitting by the winter fire, thinking about the best garden ever. Color Coded, One in a Melon for my trials was just such an acquisition.

Follow me on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy for more photos and garden inspiration.

The Cloudless Sulphur butterfly creates a monochromatic color scheme, feeding on the One in a Melon coneflower.