Plant ID: Echinacea purpurea
copyright: chambersdesign
Perhaps the most famous native-ish flower in the United States, if not Western Europe, is Echinacea purpurea. It is a cornerstone for gardeners and plant lovers that want to add a more wild or natural look to a space. Better known as coneflower, this plant is a wonderful base to populate a bed or field where four seasons of interest is the goal. Though it is incredibly popular, there are some that believe it’s not correctly named. Some say it should technically be called Echinacea serotina referring to its assigned species more than 200 years ago. But for continuity, purpurea has been maintained for the good of selection by novices and experts alike. Regardless of a title, its bright purple petals and the stately long stem make it easily identifiable and deeply loved by many.
Region
The flower is native to parts of the United States and into Ontario, Canada with a strong disposition for prairies and meadows. It is likely endemic to the Great Plains, and has developed the ability to thrive where the open sky and woodlands meet. Several studies say it is only truly native to central United States in states like Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Because of this, some purists would not permit it to be used outside of these boundaries. However, it is a good neighbor and doesn’t exhibit bad habits - and should be welcomed into any garden throughout the eastern and central US. This is why we would refer to it as a “native-ish” plant - to avoid arguments around its genetics and evolutionary path.
Echinacea purpurea in fall
what to know
E purpurea is an ideal candidate for gardeners looking to create a Dutch New Wave styled planting. Its leaves are gorgeous in the spring, summer and fall. Sometimes they can be as big as your hand. One plant will only meet the soil in a small spot - typically 4 to 5 inches in diameter. However, with the leaves, it can occupy a diameter of around 12 to 15inches. The difference between its contact size and the leaves means you can plant them in a random pattern without worrying too much if they are too close or too far from each other. Groupings are the best way to plant them too. We always try to have a minimum of 3 to 7 plants together in a group to allow for a sense of body and girth. They aren’t typically used for block plantings. Yet, their true visual power is when they are used to create a drift of plants weaving and jumping from place to place in a single bed or to tie separated spaces together.
The stem is very thin, so it helps to surround them with a grass or other perennial like Pycnanthemum muticum or Pycnanthemum tenuifolium. In combination, they take on a more shrubby feel and look more natural. When the flower is in bloom, it is beautiful - the purple petals can sometimes be saturated or pale - and vary from year to year. The eye has oranges and reds and browns mixed about - each hue apparent depending on how the sunlight hits it. It provides a garden with a sense of time and change from April to October - with the petals sometimes staying in color into November. However for all its beauty and splendor during warm weather, it is perhaps at its most eye popping during the winter.
As the colder winds of December turn to freezing temperatures in January, echinacea reveals a presence few other plants have. The once colorful eye turns into a dark burnt umber atop a blackened stem. The leaves disappear turning the plant into a skeleton of sorts. If you planted several together, these skeletons look more like a sculpture than graveyard…and if surrounded by, say, Pancium with its light tan seedheads, the echinacea is centerstage through snow and wind and freezing rain. At some point, its deepest secret is revealed. After all of the seeds attached to the eye fall away or are eaten by hungry birds - the cone, from which its common name is derived, becomes apparent. When you see the cone for the first time, it’s like you and the flower have a secret no one else knows. After months of snowstorms and subfreezing conditions, it begins to succumb to the pressures of Mr. Frost. But right as it does, you realize you are back to April and the entire process starts all over again. With so much variety within its life cycle, it’s no wonder why the plant is so popular.
general information
Exposure: Sun and Partly Sun
Soil: Dry to Moist
Height: 36 to 40 inches
Spread: 12 to 18 inches
Hardiness Zone: 3 - 8
Bloom Time: Summer