Echinacea 'Sombrero Salsa Red'
Coneflower
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Supplied as an established plant in a 3 litre pot
Aspect
Full sun
Hardiness
Fully hardy
Flowers
Summer to early autumn
Soil
Loam, sand, chalk
About this plant
Vivid red blooms, compact and free-flowering
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Description
Echinacea 'Sombrero Salsa Red' is a compact, free-flowering herbaceous perennial producing vivid, rich red, daisy-like flowers with a prominent, dark orange-brown central cone from midsummer through to early autumn. Part of the popular Sombrero series, bred for a more compact, branching habit and exceptional flower production compared with older coneflower cultivars, it holds its blooms on strong, well-branched stems that need no staking. A superb cut flower and an outstanding pollinator plant, it is particularly attractive to bees and butterflies, and its long flowering season and reliable performance make it a valuable addition to sunny borders, gravel gardens, and prairie-style plantings. -
Why we like it
Key features
What makes it special
Good for cutting
Loved by bees & pollinators
Long-lasting blooms that persist for months
Fully hardy — comes back every year
Specs & details
The particulars
- Botanical name
- Echinacea 'Sombrero Salsa Red'
- Common name
- Coneflower
- Supplied as
- 3 litre pot
- Flower colour
- Red
- Eventual height
- 40–50 cm
- Eventual spread
- 35–45 cm
- Flowering period
- Summer to early autumn
- Habit
- Compact, well-branched clump-forming perennial
- Life cycle
- Herbaceous perennial
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy
- Aspect
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Loam, sand, chalk
- Moisture
- Well-drained
- Position
- Front of border, mid-border, gravel garden, cutting garden
- Plant spacing
- 6–7 plants per m²
- Growing skill
- Easy to grow
Plant calendar
When to plant, when it performs
Planting & care
Help it thrive
Planting guide
Echinacea 'Sombrero Salsa Red' performs best in a well-drained soil in full sun; good drainage, particularly over winter, is more important to this plant's long-term success than soil fertility. On heavy clay soils, incorporate plenty of grit and compost before planting to improve drainage, or consider raising the planting position slightly. Set plants at the same depth as in their pot, spacing around 35–40 cm apart to allow for the compact mature spread. It establishes well in a range of reasonably fertile garden soils and tolerates dry conditions once settled, making it a reliable choice for gravel gardens and other free-draining sunny sites.
Care tips
Echinacea 'Sombrero Salsa Red' is a straightforward and rewarding plant once established. Deadhead regularly through the flowering season to encourage continued bud production and prolong the display, though leaving some flowers to go to seed towards the end of the season provides valuable food for goldfinches and other seed-eating birds. No staking is required given the strong, well-branched stems characteristic of the Sombrero series. Cut the plant back to ground level in late winter or early spring, having left the seedheads in place over winter for structure and wildlife value. No regular feeding is needed on reasonably fertile soils; a light top-dressing of balanced fertiliser in spring is sufficient on poorer ground. Divide every three to four years in spring if flowering begins to decline.
Winter care
Echinacea 'Sombrero Salsa Red' is fully hardy and requires no winter protection in most parts of the UK, though good drainage is important for reliable overwintering, as the plant is more vulnerable to losses from waterlogged soil in winter than from cold alone. Leave the seedheads standing through autumn and winter, as they provide valuable structure and a food source for birds, and many gardeners find them attractive in their dried state, especially with a frost. Cut back to ground level in late winter or early spring, just before new growth begins to emerge from the base. Divide congested clumps every three to four years in spring if flowering performance begins to decline.