Echinacea, A Healing Plant
Posted in Featured Articles, perennials, plant profilesEchinacea purpurea,
Cone flower, is a daisy type of flower that blooms well during late summer months. I love it in combination with the Butterfly weed. The orange of the Asclepsias tuberosa, butterfly flower, picks up the same hue in the disc part of the coneflowers, set off by a warm pink of the petals in the Echinacea. Match them up with the beginnings of pyracantha’s orange berries and it is very pretty in the garden at this time of year.
[The look]
just opening
Daisy form flowers which bloom starting in July. Native to the Eastern United States it grows to height 2 to 5 feet and width of one and a half to two feet. They are a bit messy looking in terms of somewhat coarse leaves and the tendency for the flowers to look a little motheaten as they end their bloomtime; but a large group of coneflowers are a beautiful sight and a strong presence in the garden, along with their attractiveness to butterflies.
[The needs]
Full sun to part shade, water requirements of dry (when established) to medium moisture. Originally found in rocky open woods and prairies, conditions for growing in the garden are simple: average, medium, well-drained soil.
Echinacea and Asclepsias in the garden
Hardy in zones 3 to 8.
[Growing notes]
I grew my own plants from seed one year. They grow easily from seed, but took a few years to settle in and make themselves at home.
The AARS Winner for 2010, ‘PowWow Wild Berry’ comes with these directions for growing from seed:
To produce plants from seed that will flower the first year, sow seed no later than January 25, regardless of location. Sow seed on top of germination media that has been thoroughly wet and allowed to drain. Seed can be exposed to light or covered lightly with media. Maintain 65F to 70F (18C to 21C) soil media for 10 to 15 days, the length of time for germination. Seedlings can be transplanted into larger containers within 20 to 28 days. Grow on at no less than 50 to 65F. Apply liquid fertilizer, when needed. Transplant into a full-sun garden location with amended soil that is well draining.
I also had a little trouble with keeping plants alive from those I had purchased from a nursery. I think they require a little more consistent moisture than their reputation for drought tolerance led me to believe- at least in the early establishment.
Clumps can also be divided for additional plants.
For the last couple of gardening seasons, the humble Echinacea purpurea, purple coneflower, has sported a whole new hue. Make that several new hues. Through genetic tinkering and tissue culture, hybridizers took the gentle Echinacea spp. and turned them upside down. Garden centers are full of echinaceas in bright orange, red, pink, yellow, and even green. Some sport double flowers and pom poms making them look very little like their forebears.
Now coneflowers come in an array of closely harmonied colors
Herbal Information:
Uses in Alternative Health: “Echinacea is believed to stimulate the immune system to help fight infections.”
“With natural antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, Echinacea purpurea is best know for its ability to kick-start the immune system, stimulating the production of white blood cells.
Echinacea purpurea contains iron, iodine, copper, potassium, sulphur, vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin C. Echinacea purpurea also contains polysaccharides, resembling bacteria, which motivate the healthy white blood cells attack bacterial invaders.” ~Herb Almanac
[Fun facts]
Attracts goldfinches, so I would grow it with cosmos, which goldfinches also love. The two would be beautiful companion plants in a garden.
Echinacea comes from the Greek word “echinos” meaning hedgehog in reference to the spiny center cone
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Echinacea purpurea
