Echinacea, a superb and virtuous flower

Echinacea, a perennial with colored flowers, also goes by the name “purple coneflower“.

Key Echinaceae facts

Name – Echinacea
Family – Asteraceae
Type – perennial

Height – 36 to 48 inches (90-120 cm)
Exposure – full sun

Soil: ordinary  –  Foliage: evergreen  –  Flowering: July to October

Purple coneflower blooms from summer to fall and it is simply beautiful. Take delight in these beautiful flowers that adapt to our climates so well. Care is so easy, it is perfect for beginners.

Planting echinacea

In spring in a sheltered spot and in full sun. Purple coneflower requires rather rich and well drained soil because it loathes having its roots dwell in water.

Particularly resilient to drought, feel very free to place it in a very hot and sun-bathed corner.

• Propagation through cuttings is very easy for this perennial. Perform in spring or at the end of summer.
• One can also divide the crown in spring or fall. This is actually highly recommended every 3-4 years to regenerate the plant.

Pruning and caring for echinacea

Easy to grow and care for, purple coneflower requires little attention and will bloom abundantly all summer long. A few good tips should help you increase the blooming still more.

• Remove wilted flowers regularly (deadheading) in order to boost flower-bearing.
• Give it a round shape at the beginning of spring, pruning the plant back lightly (about ⅓ the height of the stems).
• Add flower plant fertilizer in spring to stimulate the blooming.

Therapeutic uses of echinacea

Purple coneflower is a plant for which many health benefits have been recognized, and it is widely included in capsule preparations for herbalism.

From the purple coneflower, the root and the rest of the part are used for therapeutic purposes. Three varieties often come up for medicinal use: Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea pallida and Echinacea purpurea.

• It reinforces the immune system by supporting our body’s defense mechanisms.
• It treats respiratory tract infections.
• It helps treat diseases such as flu, colds, or pharyngitis.
• Lastly, purple coneflower treats urinary tract infections.

All there is to know about echinacea

Native to North America, and sometimes mistaken to be a daisy, echinacea will offer you beautiful flowers from summer to fall. This plant is part of same family as the aster.

Quite hardy and disease-resistant, it poses absolutely no problems in terms of care.

Echinacea purpurea, a close cousin to rudbeckia, will bear leafage and flowers that will give your flower beds new colors, but there are many other colors and varieties.

Also, echinacea has medicinal properties that the Indians had discovered long ago, and which are still part today of many therapeutic solutions for them, and increasingly for the rest of the Western world, too.