Echinacea purpurea Irresistible - Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea Irresistible is a variety which lives up to its name with flamboyant flowers adorned with a large double pompom. It is a robust and very floriferous perennial, with vigorous growth, whose flowers bloom from July to September. Truly easy and generous, this beautiful border plant is ideal for cutting or drying.

Originally from the western United States, from Georgia to Michigan via Oklahoma and Ohio, Rudbeckia purpurea is a perennial with a strong character which confidently colonizes rocky prairies, savannas, clear undergrowth and roadside edges in its natural habitat. The 'Irresistible' Echinacea is a horticultural selection of this formidable pioneer. It has a dense tufted habit, reaching 80 cm (32in) high and 40-50 cm (16-20in) wide. The foliage is deciduous, emerging in spring and drying up in autumn. The leaves are opposite on the stems, lanceolate and dark green, covered in rough hairs. The slightly fragrant flowering takes place from July to September if you regularly remove faded flowers and is very popular with butterflies. The branched, greenish-red flower stalks each end in a single large head with a diameter of 8 cm (3in), with a prominent disc, forming a pompom of tiny orange to red florets. The heart sits in the middle of a collar of orange, slightly drooping 'petals' with beige highlights. The fruit is an achene that releases seeds which birds are fond of. This plant firmly and deeply anchors itself in the soil, with the help of its well-developed root system.

Echinacea purpurea 'Irresistible' has extremely colourful flowers, pleasant to look at under the softened September sun. It can be used in mixed borders with other red or orange flowers whose shapes contrast (shrubby salvias, gladioli, daylilies, gauras) or inulas, asters, yarrows, daisies, echinops and ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia, Muhlenbergia capillaris... Splendid in borders, the beautiful colour of echinacea is also very attractive in fresh or dried flower bouquets.

In homoeopathy, echinacea root is used to fight against colds and strengthen the immune system. These properties were first used by Native Americans. The name Echinacea comes from the Greek echinos which means "hairy or like a hedgehog" and acea meaning "having the shape of", to describe the shape of the flower's heart. Purpurea means "purple".