Description
Echinacea – Coneflower –
There are about 9 clump forming, bold, stiff perennials, in this genus. They occur in dry prairies, gravelly hillsides, and open woodland in Central and Eastern North America. They have thick, edible, black rootstocks and short rhizomes. Erect hairy stems carry linear-lance shaped to ovate, smooth or toothed edged, or deeply pinnatifid, bristly, dark green leaves. It bears solitary, daisy like, purple, red, pink, or white flowers, with pointed stiff scales on the undersides and prominent, ovoid, or cone shaped, brownish yellow to orange centers, are held in terminally on thick, sometimes sparsely branched stems. Grow in a herbaceous border or open woodland.
Grow in deep, well drained, humus rich soil in full sun, although they will tolerate some shade. Cut back stems as the blooms fade to encourage further flower production and to prevent excessive self seeding. Divide every 3 or 4 years in spring.
Prone to leaf miners, powdery mildew, bacterial spots, gray mold, and vine weevils.
E. purpurea ‘White Swan’ – Rudbeckia purpurea – Purple Coneflower – This erect perennial grows 24″ inches tall and 18″ wide. It produces smooth, sometimes rough hairy, red-tinted green stems and ovate, toothed, rough hairy basal, dark green leaves, 6″ long, and ovate-lance shaped, toothed stem leaves. From mid summer to early autumn it bears daisy like flowers, to 4 1/2″ across, with conical, orange brown centers and partly reflexed, pure white petals, 1 1/4-3″ long.
Zones 3-9
