Echinacea pallida 'Hula Dancer' - PALE PURPLE CONEFLOWER 'HULA DANCER'

Long-lived perennial with a tap root, slender habitus, and narrow hairy leaves. ’Hula Dancer’ offers interesting flowers with slim pale pink drooping petals and greenish centers.

Heat, humidity, and drought tolerant plant. Flowers 2 to 4 weeks earlier than purple cone flower (Echinacea purpurea). The black seedheads remain on the plant for a very long time and are ornamental; goldfinches feed on the seeds as well. A great choice for cut flowers or drying, after which the flowers can still be slightly fragrant. Probably can be used as a medicinal plant (other Echinaceas are used in Native American cultures to treat various ailments and are sold over the counter in Western medicine as a natural remedy for the common cold and flu).

Due to it’s natural look, the best use is in somewhat natural looking flowers beds, drier prairie plantings or for naturalizing. It looks best if combined with fine flowering grasses such as Stipa tenuissima or Sporobolus heterolepis.

For other good perennial combinations, add native perennials like Artemisia ludoviciana, Agastache (‘Blue Fortune’ , A. nepetoides), Asclepias tuberosa, Baptisia, Callirhoe, Eryngium juccifolium, Penstemon, Pycnanthemum, Liatris, Silphium terenbinthinaceum or bigger grasses like Panicum virgatum. This Echinacea looks good when combined with plants that remind of “thistle”, like these non-native perennials: any Eryngium (E. planum, E. giganteum,…), Echinops, Knautia macedonica, but also other drought tolerant perennials as Geranium sanquineum, Perovskia or Salvia nemorosa.

Picture copyright : Jelitto

Blooming Time: main flowering period is June – July; blooming naturally continues until September, but with small amounts of flowers. Deadheading extends the blooming cycle and increases the amount of flowers, but it will remove the desirable seeds. 
Size: usually 2.5’ high x 1-1.5’ wide
USDA Zones: 3 to 8
Culture: sun, half sun (adaptable to half shade too, but a sunny spot is the best). Average garden soil, drained soil, rocky soil, poor soil, even heavier clayish soil. But always avoid moist and poorly drained soils!
Moisture Needs: dry, medium-dry, medium
Origin: This is a seed line perennial introduced by German seed company Jelitto in 2006. The botanical species of Echinacea pallida is a native wildflower to Eastern and central North America. Naturally found in dry to mesic black soil prairies, gravel prairies, openings in dry rocky woods, oak savannas, limestone glades, abandoned fields, and open areas along railroads.
Deer/Rabbit Resistant: yes/yes (coarse leaves may still be palatable to cattle)
Attracts Butterflies or Pollinators: several long and short-tongued native bees, including bumble bees, honey bees, butterflies, and skippers. The caterpillars of the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly feed on the foliage, and caterpillars of the Wavy-Lined Emerald moth and Common Eupithecia moth feed on the flowerheads.
Attracts Hummingbirds: hummingbirds occasionally feed on the nectar, goldfinches eat the seeds
Pot Size: 3.5" x 4" perennial pot (1.22 pt/580 ml)