Echinacea Julia - Purple Coneflower

Echinacea 'Julia' is a new variety of small-sized hybrid coneflower, well-branched, that seduces with the orange colour of its flowering, rich and changing, somewhat reminiscent of the bright colour of the wings of the eponymous American butterfly, Dryas iulia. With its large flower heads ranging from pink-orange to golden mandarin orange, centered on a beautiful cone tinged with bright orange and brown, this variety brings life to sunny borders or flower pots like few perennials can. It is also a very resistant plant, adapting to difficult conditions, occasionally tolerating intense heat, humidity, and drought. It can even grow in poor soils.

Native to the western United States, from Georgia to Michigan through Oklahoma and Ohio, Echinacea purpurea is a perennial with a strong character that resembles nothing known, but confidently colonizes rocky prairies, savannas, open woodlands, and road edges in its natural habitat. It has produced numerous cultivars with varied colors and sizes through hybridization with other species, always very easy to grow. All these plants belong to the aster family.

'Julia' has a compact habit with a well-branched clump from the base, particularly sturdy, reaching 45cm (18in) in height and 35-40cm (14-16in) in width. This plant demonstrates very good stability and does not require staking. The opposite, lanceolate green leaves are covered in rough hairs. Flowering occurs from July to September, and the flowers are slightly fragrant and highly visited by butterflies. The branched, green-red stems end with a solitary inflorescence, a 10cm (4in) diameter flower head, with a prominent, bristly, reddish-brown to orange disk, surrounded by slightly trailing ligulate florets whose orange colour changes as the flowers mature while maintaining their brightness. The fruit is an achene that releases seeds that birds are fond of. This plant firmly and deeply anchors itself in the soil with its well-developed root system.

When in bloom, Echinacea 'Julia' blends into a cloud of butterflies, offering a remarkably colourful flowering that brings a lot of dynamism and cheerfulness to even the most modest setting. It is used in mixed borders with other white varieties or in the company of easy and generous annuals such as Nigella, Poppies, Amaranths, or Centaureas. Complete the scene by mixing in some ornamental grasses like Stipa tenuifolia, Schizachyrium scoparium 'Blue Heaven', Muhlenbergia capillaris... These are splendid in mixed borders, and the beautiful colours of the purple Echinacea 'Julia' are also stunning in fresh or dried flower arrangements. Its combination with common lady's mantle is superb!

Properties: In homeopathy, its root is used to combat colds and strengthen the immune system. These properties were already used by Native Americans. The name Echinacea comes from the Greek echinos, which means "hedgehog-like or prickly," and acea, meaning "having the shape of," alluding to the flower heads. Purpurea means "purple."