Purple Coneflowers ( Echinacea purpurea ) are well known as the Echinacea herb which is commonly seen in cold and flu medications, herbal supplements and as an essential oil. These uses are only a small part of what this medicinal plant has to offer, just to name a few, it has immune boosting, detoxifying, antiseptic, digestive and wound care properties. This species is a perennial plant that is cold, drought, poor soil and heat tolerant. so grows well in any climate. They will go dormant during winter in colder regions and spring back to life once the weather warms again. As a bonus Echinacea purpurea has pretty flowers that can be used a cut flower. Growth Echinacea purpurea grows in clumps and on average can reach between 1-1.2 metres in height, with a width of 20-30 cm’s. Its leaves are lanceolate in shape and green. The prolific, daisy-like flowers are a light purple to a pinkish colour and have a large button shaped centre that is very attractive to bees and butterflies. Flowers are scented, long stemmed, appear during Summer to Autumn and each flower will last a few weeks. Coneflowers will self seed readily and can spread around your garden in spots you may not want them. It is a good idea to dead head flowers before they go to seed, unless of course you are wanting to collect seed from them. This species can grow in quite barren areas, so is heat & drought tolerant. It will also grow in areas that have very cold winters, although it will go dormant during these periods. The plant is not too fussy about soil quality as long as it is well draining, they will no tolerate wet or heavy clay soils. Full sun is the best position but will tolerate some shade. Suitable for growing in pots. FAMILY: Asteraceae CLIMATE: Cold to Tropical TEMPERATURE RANGE: -34 to 40°C / -29 to 104°F SOIL TYPE: Well draining. LOCATION: Full sun – Afternoon Shade HEIGHT: Up to 1.2 cm (4 feet) WIDTH: Up to 30 cm (1 foot) pH: 6.0-7.0 GROWTH TYPE: Perennial, Clumping WATER REQUIREMENTS: Low POLLINATION: Bees, butterflies. Flowers are bisexual. MATURITY: 12-16 weeks dependent on sowing time. GERMINATION RATES: 82% if scarified prior to sowing (see germination instructions tab) GERMINATION TIME: 7-21 days SEEDS PER GRAM: Approximately 180 MEDICINAL QUALITIES: Yes WEED POTENTIAL: No but can self seed readily. FACTS ABOUT ECHINACEA PURPUREA (Purple Coneflower) Echinacea means ‘spiny’ in Greek and is in reference to the centre of the flower that is spikey, assumedly this is where our Echidna gets its name also. The fresh or dried flowers, leaves and roots of this species are used to make a tea to boost the immune system and help fight of illness early.
