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Vivid palette

Paint your yard in mango, citron, dark magenta

Carol O'Meara, Special to the Rocky

Published April 20, 2007 at midnight

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Step into garden centers this spring and you'll be struck by how hot color is. Plants are smoldering, sending off shimmering waves of orange, fuchsia, and russet.

This year, the best and boldest plants are echinaceas, especially if you want to make your yard crackle with color and stand up to heat. With the introduction of the new Big Sky series, echinacea, also called coneflowers, have gone far beyond purple and white.

"Coneflowers are big sellers, because you can grow them all over the country," says Robert Saul, president of ItSaul Plants in Alpharetta, Ga. Saul's brother, Richard, created the hybrids.

"It's a huge breakthrough to get new colors for something that was typically only two colors."

Designer shades of mango, citron, and dark magenta are now hitting the market, the 52-year-old says, and at the top of his list are Summer Sky and After Midnight.

"Summer Sky grows so vigorously, it's like it's on steroids, and After Midnight is a beautiful dark magenta with a black cherry (color) cone and black stems."

While the variety of new colors will dazzle gardeners, plant traditional purple cone flowers with the new ones to complete the color range, he says.

Hardy and easy to grow, echinaceas do best in well-drained soil.

Plant them in a mixed, perennial bed, prune off faded flowers, and they'll bloom all season long.Sunrise

Echinacea x Big Sky 'Sunrise'

• Bright, cheerful yellow blooms cover the plant from mid- to late summer. Pair these with cool colors and the pinwheel coneflowers will add texture and a light accent. Hardy in zones 4-9. Bath Garden Center, 2000 E. Prospect Road, Fort Collins, 1-970-484-5022, offers this variety for $12.99 per 1- gallon pot.

Summer Sky

(Echinacea x Big Sky 'Katie Saul')

• This is the first bicolor coneflower, sporting orange petals blushed with rose. Soft, seductive, these blooms are reflexed, with petals sweeping back to create a stunning display. Zones 4-9. Nick's Garden Center, 2001 S. Chambers Road, Aurora, 303-696-6657, carries this variety for $9.99 per 1-gallon container.

After Midnight

(Echinacea x Big Sky 'Emily Saul')

• Perfect for smaller spaces and container gardens, this plant stands 12 inches tall and wide. Clip a few blooms for a bouquet and bring the intense fragrance inside. Zones 4-8. Also at Nick's.

Twilight

(Echinacea x Big Sky 'Twilight')

• The rich, saturated fuchsia of dusk gives this standout plant flash in the garden. Zones 4-9. Echter's Garden Center, 9170 W. 52nd Ave., Arvada, is offering this variety for $16.95 per 6-inch pot, or call 303-424-7979.

Sundown

(Echinacea x Big Sky 'Evan Saul')

• Blooming from late summer into fall, this warm russet orange flower is one of the popular early releases of the series. The swept-back petals overlap and give it a lush look. Zones 4-9. O'Tooles Garden Center, 9400 Wadsworth Parkway, Broomfield, carries this variety for $9.99 per 6-inch pot. Call 303-423-8361.

Harvest Moon

(Echinacea x Big Sky 'Matthew Saul')

• Large, 4-inch blooms are a rich mango to deep gold. Pair with the cool spikes of Russian sage for extra punch. Zones 4-9. Available at Paulino Gardens, 6300 N. Broadway, 303-428-2919. $13.98 for a 1-gallon container.

Annuals

Dahlia Starsister Red & White

Outstanding 3-inch flowers are two-tone with red outside petals and funky white- and-red striped, twisted petals inside.

This dahlia was Welby Gardens' 2006 Best of Show.

Uses: Great for containers or mass plantings

How to grow: Plant in full sun to part shade 8-to-10 inches apart. Grows 6-to-8 inches tall.

Water: Moderate; in containers water daily

Where to buy: Country Fair garden centers. Call 303-209-4394 for locations. $6.99 per 4 1/2-inch pot.

Graffiti Double Salmon geranium

Continually blooming double flowers with jagged edges are a unique pink salmon color.

Uses: Excellent in containers or as landscape plant.

How to grow: Plant in full sun to part shade 8-to-10 inches apart. Grows 18 inches tall.

Water: Moderate; in containers water daily

Where to buy: Tagawa Garden Center, 7711 S. Parker Road, Centennial, 303-690-4722; $6.99 per 4 ½-inch pot.

Perennials

Penstemon Shadow Mountain (Penstemon x Mexicali)

This amazing 2007 Plant Select introduction offers showy lavender blue spikes May through September.

Uses: Outstanding as accents in drought- tolerant perennial beds.

How to grow: Plant in full sun to partial shade 15-to-18 inches apart. Grows 18-to-24 inches tall.

Water: Moderate to low once established

Where to buy: Widely available. Also at Bath Garden Center, 2000 E. Prospect Road, Fort Collins, 1-970-484-5022; $9.99 per 1-gallon pot.

Standard tree rose Polar Joy

Finally, a tree rose that's hardy for our area.

Uses: Outstanding as a specimen rose near a seating area. Loaded with 2-inch pink blooms all season.

How to grow: Plant in full sun 4 feet apart. Grows 3 feet tall.

Water: Moderate once established

Where to buy: Paulino Gardens, 6300 N. Broadway, 303-428-2919; $22.98 for a 3-gallon pot.

Once established, they get big: 36-to-40 inches tall and 2 feet wide, so give them plenty of room to grow.

Plant in full sun, near a seating area so you can enjoy their honey-rose fragrance.

Carol O'Meara, a local gardening expert, can be reached at