Echinacea purpurea Milkshake - Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea 'Milkshake' is a new medium sized variety that combines floribundity and the charm of pastel colours. Its flowers, which never seem to fade, are large pompons that range from yellow-orange to white, with all shades between these two tones blending on the plant in full bloom. Vigorous, resistant and flowering from summer to autumn, it is a generous and undemanding perennial plant, useful to birds and pollinating insects and very long-lasting in a vase: it has a place in a natural or romantic garden.

Originally from the Western United States, from Georgia to Michigan through Oklahoma and Ohio, Echinacea purpurea is a perennial with a strong character which confidently colonizes rocky prairies, savannas, light undergrowth and road edges in its natural habitat. It is a deciduous perennial plant whose vegetation dries up in winter.

Echinacea 'Milkshake' was recently obtained in the United States. The vigorous and well-branched plant, has a bushy tufted habit, 70 cm (28in) high and 50-60 cm (20-24in) wide. On its upright, rigid, rough stems, there are opposite, lanceolate, green leaves with rough hairs. Flowering extends from July to October, accompanying all the summer flowers and loved by butterflies. Each mature plant can bear between 40-50 flowers simultaneously. The branches each end in a solitary flower head formed by a centre filled with small, very double petals, surrounded by a row of much larger, slightly drooping ligulate petals. The centre of the flower is yellow when it blooms and becomes white when mature. The fruit of the echinacea is an achene that releases seeds that birds are fond of. This plant firmly and deeply anchors itself in the soil, with the help of its well-developed root system. Once well rooted, it tolerates dry periods well.

Echinacea 'Milkshake', with its refined long-lasting flowering, will bring charm to sunny beds and large borders. Really easy to grow in ordinary soil, it grows very well in flower beds and pots. It mixes well with other echinaceas (Eccentric, Green Jewel) as well as with small daisies ('Engelina', 'Princesse d'argent'), Echinops, summer asters in pastel colours. Lighten the scene by mixing in some ornamental grasses like Stipa tenuifolia, Muhlenbergia capillaris, Pennisetum orientale Karley Rose... Splendid in flower beds, the beautiful flowers of the purple 'Milkshake' echinacea are also very beautiful in fresh or dried flower bouquets.

Properties: In homoeopathy, its root is used to fight 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 for "having the shape of", alluding to the hearts of the flowers. Purpurea means "purple".