Perennial Plant Association’s Plant of the Year 1998

Irresistible to butterflies, long-blooming, ultra-colorful, and carefreewhat could be more delightful than a large stand of brilliant ‘Magnus’ Coneflower? It was the Perennial Plant Association’s Plant of the Year, and one look at these big, hot-pink blooms will tell you why.

The petals are held nearly straight out from the bloom, instead of bent back like many other coneflowers, giving ‘Magnus’ more color on every giant 4- to 6-inch bloom. And there are simply so many bloomsthey begin in late spring and continue into fall. When they finally do pass, be sure to let the birds feast on the huge mahogany-brown coneheads, or harvest them for dried arrangements.

Carefree in any sunny spot, these drought-tolerant plants reach about 3 feet tall, tolerating light shade though best in the sun. Bearing literally hundreds of blooms over its many months of color, ‘Magnus’ is a garden