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Purple ConeflowerEchinacea purpurea
The roots of purple coneflower have been used throughout history for a variety of herbal remedies, most frequently today as a relief remedy for cold symptoms. Modern medicine has yet to confirm the effectiveness of Echinacea on cold symptoms. None-the-less, herbal Echinacea sales have skyrocketed in resent years and much information can be found for the use of Echinacea on the internet. Echinacea purpurea and its cultivated varieties have also become very popular as an ornamental perennial and have found their way into perennial borders, butterfly gardens, cottage gardens, rain gardens, and in prairie restoration projects. Many new cultivated varieties are on the market including new hybrid series that stretch the color range beyond purple into the reds, yellows, and oranges. Coneflowers, being a prairie wildflower, prefer hot sun and can withstand many types of soils, including sandy gravel. In common loamy garden soil they really excel and will multiply much faster than in coarse soils. Coneflowers will often spend their first year in a new garden developing a root system before multiplying visibly and may take several years to establish a good strong stand. Purple coneflowers are a MUST HAVE for any buttefly garden and have proven their worth in attracting Monarchs and many other species of butterflies. To attract butterflies effectively, coneflowers should be planted en masse and with other butterfly attracting plants nearby or mixed in. Other butterfly plants that work well with coneflowers are liatris, zinnia, tithonia, joe pye weed, ironweed, and asclepias to name a few. Get creative and provide a smorgasboard for best results pulling in the butterflies. Echinacea responds to early deadheading with extended bloom season, but as the season progresses we recommend leaving the seed heads and foliage intact over the winter. The foliage helps to insulate the crown from fluctating soil temperatures, and the seedheads will feed goldfinches and also help to establish the patch with new seedlings. They reseed lightly in MN, so there is no worry about them becoming a garden bully! Some folks claim they reseed like crazy and become invasive. We don't find this to be the case. They should, however, be planted in an area were they can create a 2ft-4ft patch. It doesn't belong in a small, orderly garden with space limitations. Cold hardy through USDA Zone 3 and maybe into Zone 2 with heavy winter mulch. Echinacea purpurea cultivars offered by Koi Garden Club
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