@samhain10 , have you tried a search in the Perennials Forum? Last year I mostly came here to read and seldom posted (too busy). For some reason the name ClintBrown rings a bell as being an Echinacea lover. Perhaps I'm mistaken for some other user. But you may want to try looking him up regarding hybridizing tips.
As for me, I've tried just a few. Most I've lost too after surviving winter, blooming one season, then not returning the next. My 'Harvest Moon' has lasted the longest. But I wanted double flower ones. I can't remember the name, but I had one green-white double that didn't return after first bloom season. Then I tried 'Coconut-Lime' which some have listed above to fail. It has been in my garden since 2007. I also have 'Pink Double Delight' since 2007, but I planted 6-7 plants each for cut flowers, and the purchase was wholesale.
Following will be a photo of the *patch* I will call it. I also stuck in one 'Hot Papaya' which is not in the photo. I think because there are so many (not just one plant), that they do get pollinated and sow a few seeds that the birds don't get. The 'Harvest Moon' plant is about 30 feet down wind (eastward) and probably 100 over is my patch of the pink/purple (too quick too multiply) ones. So pollen could come from them all as insects, butterflies and bees do fly. In this patch I have let seedlings emerge and leave them until they bloom (though one year I failed to get many pulled). I have just this year started to lose some of the 'Pink Double Delight' but I think it was because other more vigorous single flower seedlings had come up in the row and I didn't get them pulled out.
The main Echinacea to the front in this photo is a seedling. I left it because it is colored with more of a red than pink. It's a very attractive vigorous seedling in my opinion, but it needs moved. Now to the front lower right of the photo you will see a double flower pink seedling. This one is special to me and first bloomed this year. I did move it to it's own location, and we'll see next year if it emerges again.
This is the seedling up closer:
I have another couple keeper seedlings that are not visible in the photo, but they were left in their place. In that same patch I have a very vigorous Baptisia 'Twilight Prairieblues' that sows extra abundantly if I don't get the seed heads cut off. Near, to almost under it, is the other two seedlings. The one is yellow and very much wanted. I did have 'Sunrise' (that's not the whole proper name for it), but it failed. I'm hoping this new yellow will again emerge and bloom in 2018 and be stronger more vigorous than the sunrise yellow plant was.
Sorry for the long post.
