Echinacea Alaska

by Lance
(Kamloops, B. C., zone 4)

I wasn't a bit fan of the generic, purple Echinacea, visually speaking. Why? Well, quite frankly, they look like not-really-purple badminton birdies.

So my getting a hold of the designer variety 'Alaska' wasn't done entirely without some ruefulness.

Sure, what can one say but that it's a daisy? But my. WHAT a daisy!

First, the petals are absolutely precise, and look crisply cut out against the green foiliage.

Secondly, the petals aren't that picket-fence white of Shastas, but rather an understated, classic, porcelain white, with just a subtle hint of green which ties them back into the foliage--makes them a unified part of the whole plant.

Finally, the cone doesn't sport that disproportionately dominant size of most Echinaceas, but rather forms a geometrically-patterned hub for the pinwheel petals-- a perfectly shaped centre of delicate, greenish gold.

In short, the 'Alaska' has the effect of delegating every daisy in my border into a rather shabby, chalky cartoon drawing. Indeed, so much so, that I am replacing my shastas with them.

Echinacea 'Alaska' has truly become a dignified compliment to and companion of my 'Pretty Lady', pinkish-white floribunda rose. For the rose is one of those blousy, overblown Victorian dazzlers. But 'Alaska' is so very cleanly-defined and fresh in its precise presentation, that there are times I wonder which of the two plants is the more lovely.