Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’

Magnus’ (in honor of developer Magnus B. Nilsson of Sweden) was introduced into commerce by Jelitto Seeds in 1985. It won the Perennial Plant Association Plant of the Year award in 1998 and the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 2003. ‘Magnus’ is an upright, clump-forming, single-type coneflower which typically grows to as much as 40″ tall and to 18″ wide on sturdy stems that usually do not need staking. Large daisy-like flowers (to 3-5″ diameter) bloom from late spring to late summer (sometimes sporadically to frost) on sturdy stems rising to 3-4′ tall. Each flower features non-drooping rose-pink to rose-purple petal-like ray flowers which surround a center cone of orange-brown disk flowers. Toothed, ovate to broad lanceolate, medium to dark green leaves to 6″ long. It is considered to be one of the best Echinacea cultivars in commerce. Jelitto Seeds has now introduced Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus Superior’ as an improved version, with the expectation that ‘Magnus Superior’ will soon replace ‘Magnus’. Improvements in ‘Magnus Superior’ include deeper lavender rays, larger copper center cones, darker stems and more consistent growth.