Those look great! I have a baby plant with one bloom on it. I can't wait until mine grows up to be like yours. :)

That's a very healthy, well-cared for plant, but personally - I don't like this one. The color is great, but the flower shape is just too shaggy or something for me. I grew it for a couple of years and was not at all bummed out when it didn't make it through last winter.

Kevin

I'm not a big fan of most of the doubles myself, but this one still intrigues me... primarily for its relative vigour. This is a single plant, planted one or two years ago.

The color is great,

I have HP and for all the many plants on our property there is no other flower having anything close to the same striking colour as this coneflower.

Love your plant. What a brilliant color it is. I know it would show up well in the flower beds planted among the other perennials.

Linda

Wow, now that is quite a color! I'm with Kevin, though - not a fan of the flower shape, looks droopy/bedraggled to me.

Like it- Alot! If not just for the sizzling color, but especially because of its particularly extra 'shaggy' petals, too.
I lost mine, this spring, darn it. Bought last autumn specifically to replace my old one I had for a few years....Might even just spend $20. on a potted plant of Hot Papaya at a local nursery, I like it so much.
But I haven't had flowers on 'Meringue' or is it '"milkshake'', I dunno, but I'll be certain whenéver it does flower.
Have "Kim's Knee High Red" & absolutely adore that one, but a 60 mph gust of wind blew it over, so I hope it starts new shoots at the base.. Better than a grayish pink 'Magnus' any old day!!
Uhm, what's the other newer ones that iI just picked out? Ooh yeah, that ''Pow Wow Wildberry' selected from an entire shipment! Plus got it in white also- on sale, no less, at only just a $1. a quart, so I bought two. I mean, why not?
I'm envious of yours....

I've really liked Hot Papaya for its colour and its performance. Even better in my garden is Marmalade, which is an easy, fast, prolific bloomer. I beleive it is from the same breeder. I too am not a fan of the doubles and most have petered out here. But these two are worth growing, at least in my gardens.

I seem to remember mine being somewhat "ratty " last yr. but this yr. it came back much ( for lack of better word )
- tighter looking -

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This plant was ok the first year here, but the second year I ripped it out. It came back smaller the second year. If you want a similar look, there are many nice orange or red zinnias that are easy from seeds that have much better form and look better in the garden.

I loved it the first year, but this year it's not as pretty. Maybe too much rain.
Here it is 2012.
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Here is it this year.

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Zinnia or echinacea ... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm no comparison . The great thing about ech. for me is not only the bloom , but the foliage as well . I mean seeing the foliage growing next to poppies or flax or lupines = ~swooooon ~{{gwi:251094}}

Gumneck : that last picture , with the monarda AWESOME :)

Coolplants your plant looks quite vigorous, and it's a pretty color, but I'm not really crazy about double pom pom type flowers either. They look a little too poofy, and also the pollen and nectar in the flower don't seem to be as accessible to the pollinators. Right now the bees are very busy and happy to have lots of coneflower blooming in the gardens.

Gumneck your plant this year looks like it might have mites in a couple flowers, maybe that's why it's not as pretty.

Sammy - don't you mean Helenium not Monarda?