Purple cone flowers bloom from June and into August, brightening gardens with their large, fragrant daisy shaped flowers in many shades of purple, red, yellow and rose-pink with domed orange center. (Photo by Ginny Rosenkranz)
Echinacea purpurea, or Purple Cone Flower, is a wonderful sun-loving native herbaceous perennial that grows from 1 1/2 feet tall to 5 feet tall, depending on the variety.
They bloom the whole month of June and into August, brightening the garden with their large, fragrant daisy shaped flowers in many shades of purple, red, yellow and rose-pink with domed orange center.
They love full sun and tolerate dry sandy soil, clay soil, high humidity and drought. They seem to be made to thrive on our Eastern Shore!
They are also listed as being deer and bunny tolerant too.
Coneflowers bloom more than once a season but that is improved if the dead flowers are trimmed of.
Leave a few to mature to seed for the goldfinches in the fall and the new seedlings for next spring.
“Pow Wow Wild Berry” is a compact coneflower growing 2-3 feet tall that has lots of branches which means lots and lots of bright rose purple flowers with orange centers.
This variety starts to bloom in last spring and continues to bloom through late summer and even into autumn.
The flowers grow 3-4 inches across with deep rose purple overlapping petals.
“Hot Papaya” is a bright, hot orange-red double coneflower that doesn’t fade with the heat of summer.
This variety can grow 2-3 feet tall and wide, attracting many butterflies into the garden.
“Evening Glow” comes in many bi-colors of pale yellow and apricot, deep butter yellow and rose, yellow and pink, pink and purple petals.
So many more varieties are available to color the garden and invite masses of butterflies!
There is the “Summer Sky Big Sky” series with “Big Sky Sundown” in shades of dark orange, “Big Sky Sunset” in softer shades of light orange and “Big Sky Sunrise” as a soft yellow. Then there is the “Prairie Pillars” collection with the rose pink of “Merlot,” the hot orange of “Flame Thrower,” and the pure white of “Fragrant Angel.”
Some have petals that replace the cones like “Butterfly Kisses,” “Delicious Candy” and “Echinacea cone-fections Raspberry Truffle.”
A rainbow of colors from one hardy, sun loving native!
(Editor’s Note: Ginny Rosenkranz is a commercial horticulture specialist with the University of Maryland Extension.)
