Rugged beauties, daisies on steroids, call them what you will – Echinacea purpurea, otherwise known as the purple coneflower, is a bold and beautiful perennial for sunny gardens.
The stand-out feature is the cone-shaped centre, which is a magnet for butterflies in summer and a frosty decoration in winter, when the petals drop, leaving the sculptural seed heads for the birds.
The species most often used in gardens, Echinacea purpurea, has pinkish-purple flowers that, together with the leaves and roots, have medicinal properties. This tall-growing plant (80 – 100cm) has been hybridised into sturdy, more compact garden varieties in a range of vivid colours.
Fortunately, the new cultivars are as heat and drought tolerant as the original. The thick, deeply penetrating roots store water, helping the plant to withstand periods of drought.
This story is from the March 2019 edition of The Gardener.
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This story is from the March 2019 edition of The Gardener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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