Echinacea – Purple Coneflower – Echinacea purpurea

Echinacea – Purple Coneflower – Echinacea purpurea is a very attractive garden perennial, native to North America. It has erect hairy stems with dark green leaves. Daisy like flowers that are purple with red conical centres appear in August. Great for wildlife, the flowers are also particularly attractive to bees and other pollinators.

Grow in a fertile, well drained soil in a sunny position. Deadhead frequently in order to prolong flowering over the summer.

Echinacea is a decorative addition to any garden with its striking blooms. The flowers look especially good alongside grasses and other late flowering plants for a prairie style planting scheme. They will flower late into Autumn eventually forming an enduring seedhead that will provide winter interest in the garden.

Echinacea has long been in use medicinally to improve resistance to infection.

Attractive cut flowers.