Echinacea purpurea Kismet Raspberry - Purple Coneflower

Echinacea Kismet® Raspberry brings its beautiful raspberry pink colour to the excellent series of Kismet Echinaceas that bring together very hardy plants, with a compact and erect habit and particularly durable large flowers. It is a reliable and faithful perennial that blooms from a young age, and throughout the summer. As charming as it is generous, this plant is ideal in a pot or as a border plant. It is also a low-maintenance plant that adapts to all well-drained soils, even occasionally dry ones. 

Originally from the western United States, from Georgia to Michigan through Oklahoma and Ohio, Echinacea purpurea is a perennial with a strong character, unlike anything known, but confidently colonizes rocky meadows, savannas, clear understorey, and road edges in its natural habitat. Kismet Raspberry is a dwarf form of this robust pioneer. It forms a dense and stocky clump, 40-45cm (16-18in) in height and 60cm (24in) in width. This plant does not weaken, does not collapse, and shows a very good posture. The opposite lanceolate leaves are dark green and covered in rough hairs. The flowering, abundant, spreads from July to October and is very visited by butterflies. The branched stems are topped with a solitary head inflorescence, 8cm (3in) in diameter, with a prominent, bristly central disk, initially orange with red reflections, then brown. It is surrounded by ligulate petals in bright pink-red tones, fading slightly over time. The fruit is an achene that releases seeds that birds love. This plant firmly and deeply anchors itself in the soil, with the help of its well-developed root system.

Echinacea Kismet Raspberry can be grown in pots or in open ground. This perennial fits well in the borders of flowerbeds, mixed with other varieties from the Kismet series or in the company of compact Inulas, Tritomas, yarrows, daisies, Echinops, and Coreopsis. Lighten up the scene by mixing in some ornamental grasses like Stipa tenuifolia, Muhlenbergia capillaris... Splendid in flowerbeds, the beautiful colours of the echinacea are also highly appreciated in fresh or dried flower bouquets.

A medicinal plant: In homeopathy, the root of the echinacea is used to fight against colds and to strengthen the immune system. These properties were already used by Native Americans. The name Echinacea comes from the Greek echinos, which means "hairy or like a hedgehog," and acea for "having the shape of," referring to the appearance of the flower's centre.