Description
(Echinacea purpurea)
This easy-to-grow, popular North American native bears striking, rich rosy-pink, daisy-like flowers in summer that attract butterflies. Plants are heat- and drought-tolerant, and blooms are used for cut- and dried-flower arrangements. The drug Echinacea, used to boost the immune system, comes from this genus.
“Echinacea is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family. The Echinacea genus has nine species, which are commonly called purple coneflowers. They are found mainly in eastern and central North America, growing in moist to dry prairies, and in open wooded areas. They have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming from early to late summer.
“Echinacea was widely used by the North American Plains Indians for its medicinal qualities. Although Native American tribes did not use echinacea for the common cold, some Plains tribes did use echinacea for cold symptoms. The Kiowa used it for coughs and sore throats, the Cheyenne for sore throats, the Pawnee for headaches, and many tribes including the Lakotah used it as a pain medication.” – From Seed Savers
Planting:
Full Sun, tolerates light shade, especially in areas with hot weather where shade enhances petal color. Does well on most soil types and in most water conditions from moist to desert. Hardy in zones 3 to 9.
Prefers deep, well-drained soil high in organic matter.
2-3 feet tall; foliage 1-2 feet across, blooms all summer.
Germination 90% – July 2021
Minimum 40 Seeds
