Echinacea 'Rainbow Marcella'
A vibrant, compact coneflower with a sunset blend of colours for long-lasting summer impact
Overview
Echinacea 'Rainbow Marcella' is a stunning, compact coneflower known for its eye-catching colour shifts and strong garden performance. A relatively new and unique variety, it produces daisy-like blooms in warm shades of coral-pink, apricot, and orange, often changing hues as they mature. Ideal for borders, containers, and pollinator gardens, this hardy perennial provides months of vibrant colour with minimal maintenance.
Key Features
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Botanical name: Echinacea ‘Rainbow Marcella’
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Common name: Coneflower
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Plant type: Herbaceous perennial
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Height: 50cm (1.5ft)
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Spread: 30cm (1ft)
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Flowering Time: Summer through to early autumn (July to September)
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Position: Full sun is best, though it will tolerate light shade
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Soil: Well-drained soil; tolerates sandy, loamy, or even slightly clay soils
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Hardiness: Hardy in the UK down to temperatures of -15 to -10 degrees Celcius (RHS hardiness rating H5)
Flowers and Foliage
'Rainbow Marcella' produces a profusion of large, flat-petalled flowers with glowing coral-pink petals and warm orange centres. As the flowers mature, the petals fade gently to soft pinks and salmon, creating a dynamic display of colour on a single plant. The blooms are held on strong, upright stems above a neat clump of dark green, lance-shaped foliage. This compact growth habit makes it ideal for smaller gardens or front-of-border planting.
Garden Uses
Perfect for cottage gardens, prairie-style plantings, wildlife gardens, and sunny mixed borders. Its warm tones blend beautifully with grasses, rudbeckias, salvia, and other drought-tolerant perennials. 'Rainbow Marcella' also grows well in large containers, making it a versatile choice for patios and terraces. The long-lasting blooms are excellent for cut flower arrangements.
Wildlife Benefits
This variety is rich in nectar and highly attractive to bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. The prominent central cones also develop seeds in late summer and autumn, which can provide food for birds if left on the plant. Its extended flowering period makes it a reliable source of nectar over several months.
Care and Maintenance
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Watering: Water regularly when first planted; becomes drought-tolerant once established
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Potted: Can grown in pots can be planted at any time of the year providing the ground is not frozen or waterlogged.
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Deadheading: Remove spent blooms to prolong flowering or leave seed heads for winter interest and wildlife
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Feeding: Apply a balanced fertiliser in spring to encourage healthy growth
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Dividing: Divide mature clumps every 3–4 years in spring or autumn to maintain vigour
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Pruning: Deadhead to extend flowering
Summary
Echinacea 'Rainbow Marcella' is a colourful and compact coneflower that brings warmth, vibrancy, and pollinator appeal to the garden throughout the summer. Easy to grow and perfect for gardeners of all skill levels, it offers a stunning mix of colours, strong stems for cutting, and a compact habit that fits beautifully into borders, containers, and wildlife-friendly spaces.
Buying Perennials from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we lightly trim back our perennials after flowering and trim them back at the end of the season to ensure that the plants remain neat and tidy whilst in the pot. The more tender the plant the less we cut back to help protect exposed stems from winter frost. Depending on the plant variety we will then prune back further in spring once the risk of the more severe frosts is over.
As a result, depending on the time of year you buy perennials, they may not look like images showing their ‘prime time’ in flower and looking at their best.
From late autumn onwards and dependent on variety, there may be very little visible above the soil except for a few cut back dormant leaves or stems. It is perfectly normal for dormant plants to look like this from autumn onwards, they will however burst back into life in spring.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
Perennials are described and classified differently by different gardeners but all would agree that they are plants that come into flower every year from early spring to late summer, the exact time dependent on variety and most die back to ground level in autumn and winter.
As for all plants, soil preparation is time well spent. Dig over the area to be planted ensuring that the ground is free draining. If not then you may wish to either consider planting in a different spot or raising the level of the planting area by adding additional topsoil, well rotted garden compost and/or well rotted manure. Add ‘Fish, Blood and Bone’ fertiliser or a high potash fertiliser to encourage good root growth and development.
It’s always a good idea to plant a few of the same plant together, we recommend planting in 3’s or 5’s to provide a bold effect but allowing them plenty of room to develop.
Always check eventual plant heights when planning borders to ensure that the taller plants are at the back (or at the centre of an island bed) followed by the medium and then smaller low growing plants.
Remember to deadhead perennials after flowering, trim back lightly in autumn as required to tidy the border and if necessary trim again in spring once the risk of heavy frost has passed.
If perennials get too big, start to flower less and less or if it seems to be dying off from the centre, consider dividing the plant but always check that the particular variety is happy to be divided and that you divide at the right time of year for the plant.
By using this simple guide and a little time, perennials can make an absolutely spectacular difference to your garden.