CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- For years, we had a bed of coneflowers that was stunning -- all bright pink, reseeding themselves throughout the yard. When the kids were small, the bed got out of hand and filled with weeds.

So that bed went the way of many of my early beds, to be tamed into another configuration that I could keep weed-free.

I miss those coneflowers. Some that reseeded in other beds are surviving nicely, but I was thinking about buying some new varieties to add back into the landscape.

According to a favorite website, www.douggreensgarden.com, the most popular and common species is Echinacea purpurea. But Doug recommends others and gives good advice:

"'White Star' is a pale white form. I've had this in the garden, and let me caution you not to let this plant self-sow. It does not breed true, so all offspring will revert darker and darker back to the specie's purple-pink. If you want more than one of this plant, you'll have to sow extra seed and grow them yourself. This plant is an easily started perennial, and if you start your own perennials, it will present no problems.

"'Magnus' is another seed-started cultivar making the rounds, and it has a slightly darker flower than the species. I like this one, but it too doesn't breed true -- at least it never did in my garden."

I've been searching out different cultivars, and so far I'm interested in 'Tomato Soup' (the name says it all), 'Echinacea Raspberry Truffle,' (double pink), 'Echinacea Summer Sun' (multicolored blooms), 'Green Jewel' (lime green), 'Pink Double Delight' (double bloom, highly fragrant), 'Green Envy' (pink and green in the same bloom) and 'Hot Papaya' (a double orange).

Anyone have luck with any of these or have any other suggestions?

Another color changing idea

Endless Summer is offering kits that could be called "Changing the Color of Hydrangeas for Dummies." (Include me in that category.)

Color Me Pink and Color Me Blue products help safely change the color of your hydrangeas. It's no secret that many big-leaf hydrangeas can change flower color from pink to blue depending on the pH of the soil.

Color Me Pink features pelletized garden lime, and Color Me Blue is pelletized soil sulfur -- both formulations are safer alternatives to other color changing methods. Both products feature a pre-measured scoop and easy-to-understand directions printed right on the waterproof container. Color Me Pink uses garden lime, safely and effectively changing acidic soils to alkaline for pink blossoms. Suggested retail price of $9.95.

Color Me Blue takes your hydrangea blooms from pink to blue. Using soil sulfur, it lowers the pH of your soil, allowing many hydrangea varieties to produce glorious blue blossoms. Suggested retail price of $12.95. Be sure to read and follow the package directions -- remember: More is not better when it comes to soil additives.

Weeding tools

My daughter and I weeded the brick patio recently -- an arduous, nail- and knuckle-breaking job. I finally pulled out a couple of tools that helped including a dandelion weeder that has a wooden handle and a metal tip that looks like a snake's forked tongue. I saw a tip recently suggesting using a hoof knife, normally used for cleaning dirt and debris from horses' hoofs. I'll be looking for one of these.

In a search for other ideas, I came across this gem: the Bio V-Groove Weeder by DeWit Tools ($18.95 at www.gardentoolcompany.com).

"Useful for so many garden tasks, the Bio V-Groove weeder is a garden tool that you'll want with you all the time," the product description reads. "While it's great for weeding in confined places and between plantings, it really shines when removing grass and weeds from sidewalk and patio paver cracks."

My daughter will either kill me (because she broke so many nails helping with the last weeding) or hug me (because next summer will be easier!) when she hears I've ordered this tool.

Reach Sara Busse at sara.bu...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1249.