Coneflowers and Sweet Peas

Is anyone else out there befuddled by the coneflower craze?

As much as I like this hearty, simple flower, it is hard to trust all the new varieties out there. I can vouch for 'White Swan' which has thrived very well in an inhospitable area with dry, poor soil.

Yet another variety I planted, 'Fatal Attraction' is hit or miss in a more enriched bed. It has not self-sowed well.

Coneflowers are intriguing me right now - I would like to plant more en masse as they can be hearty, drought tolerant and long lasting.

And now, the varieties can offer more color than ever - in particular I have been eyeing 'Green Jewel.' I also love the brilliant corals and oranges but have yet to find a spot for them.

Poking around the internet, it seems other coneflowers to consider would be 'Fancy Frills' for its whopping five inch, semi and double petaled blooms. It is also said to be strongly fragrant, so if I can find one in a nursery, and it passes the fragrance test, I'll plant some and let everyone know how it goes.

I have been thrilled that coneflowers are being bred for fragrance. The Big Sky varieties are supposed to sport the most fragrance, and a new variety that is quite pretty for its pale blooms is 'Summer Sky,' which is rumored to be the most fragrant yet. It looks like it would be an easy flower to weave into cottage garden designs.

Coneflowers do best in sandy, well-drained loam. They like sun, but I find that the flower color can fade on some of the varieties. Deadheading prolongs bloom, and finches do like the dried seeds, so some people leave the seed heads for the birds. They self-sow when happy, so if you buy into the craze, buy cautiously, you may find you don't need to plant many.

I do have a question on sweet peas I'm going to throw out there: I can get the plants started by seed, but then they grow very slowly, and seem to peter out instead of becoming the lush climbing beauty in the catalogs.

Any tips?