'Little Magnus'
Dwarf Purple Coneflower
"The summer blooms & fades away
Like moonlight falling on a bed
And there can be no solice in remembering
The words we never said."
-Cheryl Crow,
b. 1957
b. 1957
The standard Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' Purple Coneflower is very tall & best suited to large gardens or back borders, but 'Little Magnus' has all the glory of the full-height variety but reduced to only around fourteen inches to two feet in height.
Flowers are still big so it's suited for small or large gardens alike. It's not nearly as hardy as the giant original, but it's hardy enough. The petals around the cone tend to be held in the horizontal position instead of reflexed as for the species & majority of cultivars.
The variety was developed by Mart Vester of the little village of Zwaanshoek in North Holland, & introduced into the nursery trade in 2000. Mart is also known for developing new varieties of phlox.
The June's-end photo (second, right) is the very first 'Little Magnus' flower to appear in our garden, from a young start that would over the next couple of years become a large clump.
The first photo above left is from the August rebloom, & the third also from August shows a ghostly little crab spider lurking on the flower awaiting prey.
The petals remain convexed upward for several days after the petals open, then they fold backward until they are very flat, but never take on the expected reflexed appearance of other coneflowers, making 'Little Magnus' a stand out even amidst other short compact varieties, such as the original dwarf standard 'Kim's Knee High.'
The color is additionally a mite darker than the majority of purple coneflowers. It's a sturdy clumper, never tippy, suited for the xeriscape garden, cutting garden, butterfly garden, or containers. Purple Coneflowers have an extended flowering period from July to the first hard frost, assisted in their persistent bloom by deadheading spent flowers.
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'Bravado' Echinacea