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Echinacea purpurea, the Purple Coneflower, a native to the eastern and central parts of the United States, although currently found just about everywhere, started its life as a showy wild flower in meadows and in fields along country roads. But now it has been elevated to a valued member of every good perennial border, butterfly garden, wildflower patch and even herb garden due to its medicinal uses. (Supposedly it boosts the immune system.)
This hardy perennial plant stands about 4 feet tall holding the pretty, daisy-like flowers aloft on stiff, erect stems. The oblong, bright green leaves, a bit course and bristly, are 3-8 inches long. They form large clumps which look most attractive when planted en mass for a sweeping effect in the perennial border. They spread rather quickly, self-sowing readily. The dividing of clumps is recommended every few years during spring or autumn.
The coneflower has a long blooming period in starting in mid to late summer at times still blooming into autumn until the frost snips them back. This makes it especially valuable in perennial borders. Keep deadheading to prolong flowering. These make wonderful, long-lasting cut flowers so bring as many as you like into the house and they’ll keep coming.
Purple Coneflower gets its name from the prominent, bristly center from which the purplish-pink petals radiant in a characteristic downward pattern. Depending on variety the “cone” can be almost flat as in Echinacea Purpurea “Magnus” which grows to three feet tall. The petals of this one grows more horizontally and has a dark colored cone. “White Swan” and “White Lustre” are two of the more popular white varieties. They grow, obviously, white petals around a orange-yellow center cone.
This rugged plant isn’t fussy by any stretch of the word. It is quite drought tolerant, likes your average garden soil and will do great in full sun though a bit of shade won’t do it any harm. Summer sun it can tolerate but soggy soil not so much. It isn’t bothered by any insects unless you consider the hundreds of bees and butterflies flocking to them a bother. It just so happens Purple coneflower is a favorite with monarch butterflies among others and looks wonderful planted in flowing drifts with their cousin and fellow Rudbeckia the Black-eyed Susan and with the similar shaped Shasta Daisy. A butterfly garden isn’t complete without these flowers. Often I see butterflies simply resting on them. Nothing prettier than that.
The further benefit to having these lovely flowers in your garden is that they add to the stark winter landscape if you are wise enough to leave the seed heads in tact. It looks rather pretty all frosted over with ice and snow plus golden finches adore nibbling on the seeds. With all that to offer who wouldn’t want the Purple Coneflower in the yard? Certainly not I!
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 For more garden talk, funny short stories or romantic novel excerpts visit http://www.helium.com/users/32782
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