Echinacia Purpurea ( Purple Coneflower)
A profusion of large, daisy like flowers covers this plant from late summer to mid autumn. The reflexive petals surround a large, attractive cone. This perennial requires moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil, and will tolerate wind and drought. The foliage is comprised of lance-shaped, dark green leaves. The purple form is most common, however the white flower is rising in popularity. Coneflower is traditionally grown as an herbal medicine. It is used to treat mastitis, abscesses, colds, cystitis, diverticulitis, earache, eye infection, flu, hayfever, sore throat, and wounds. It is an indispensable plant in any herbalist's garden. As an added bonus, it also attracts butterflies.
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Echinacia Purpurea
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Insider's secret The coneflowers grow best in a Prairie environment, in dry soil supplemented with leaf mold. They need full sunlight or very light shade. They are propagated from seeds sown outdoors in the late spring or early fall or may be started indoors in flats in a mixture of soil, peat moss and sand for transplanting outside in the spring. Plants may also be propagated from root cuttings or clump divisions in the spring or fall. Set plants 18 to 24 inches apart. |
