Echinacea purpurea Seeds - Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea or Purple Coneflower is a popular perennial that produces strong, erect stems supporting large, purplish-pink flower heads with prominent copper-brown centres. It flowers prolifically from July to September, attracting butterflies by the dozen. Excellent for perennial beds and borders, fresh or dried flower arrangements, this very hardy plant adapts well to difficult growing conditions. It tolerates the occasional dry spell, intense heat or frost, humidity and poor soil. Reliable and easy to grow from seed in ordinary garden soil.

Echinacea purpurea, also known as Rudbeckia purpurea, is a hardy perennial native to the western United States, from Georgia to Michigan via Oklahoma and Ohio. It occurs naturally in stony meadows, open woods, and on the edges of forests and embankments. This fearsome pioneer is firmly and deeply anchored to the soil with a long taproot. It has a dense and erect habit, rapidly forming 1 m tall clumps with a spread of about 40 cm. The deciduous, opposite, lanceolate, green leaves are bristling with coarse hairs. From July to the end of summer, it features fragrant blooms that are coveted by butterflies and beneficial insects. The branched, reddish-green stems end in a large, 8 cm solitary flower head with a prominent, cone-shaped disc of tiny, copper-orange to brown flowers surrounded by drooping purplish-pink ray flowers. The outer collar is composed of slightly drooping purplish-pink ligules. They are followed by seed heads (achene) are a valuable food source to wild birds.

Purple Coneflower's colourful blooms are a joy to behold on foggy autumn days. They can be used in borders and perennial beds alongside other pink flowering plants that contrast in shape (Salvia macrophylla, dwarf Gladioli, daylilies, carnations) or in the company of inulas, asters, yarrow, daisies, globe thistle or phlox. Lighten the scene by mixing in a few ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia or Muhlenbergia capillaris. Echinaceae purpurea is an excellent cut flower, suitable for both fresh or dried flower arrangements.

Good to know: Echinaceae roots are traditionally used to boost the immune system, helping ward off colds and flus during the winter months. The name Echinacea comes from the Greek word echinos meaning "spiny" or "hedgehog-like", referring to the prickly cone-shaped centres of the flowerheads.