Echinacea purpurea * Purple Cone Flower

Along about midsummer the daisy family becomes the top dog in the garden. And the Cone Flowers are tops in that category. Flowers come on late Spring into Summer. The bloom season will be extended by regular removal of the spent flowers. In the wild Echinacea purpurea is being over-harvested for the roots which are highly esteemed by those that make herbal remedies. So grow some of your own purple cone flower and you will have plenty. It grows to 18-24" tall and forms a gradually spreading clump. Purple cone flower can be easily divided in the fall. With all of the yellows and oranges becoming dominant in the summer it is nice to have something on the pink and purple side. Echinacea purpurea will mix well in the perennial garden as well as the meadow garden. There are a wide range of Echinacea purpurea cultivars available. Echinacea purpurea is a nectar resource for the White Checkered Skipper, Painted Lady, Northern White Skipper, California Common Ringlet, Mormon Metalmark, Great Purple Hairstreak, and Gray Hairstreak Butterflies.

Plants from the genus Echinacea featured on this site:
Echinacea Cheyenne Spirit
Echinacea purpurea
Echinacea Salsa Red
Echinacea Sunset Echinacea White Swan

Other back border beauties for your Perennial Garden:
Cosmos sulfureus
Digitalis mertonense
Oenothera elata hookeri
Pelargonium cordifolium
Platycodon grandiflorus
Rudbeckia Tiger Eye