LET’S GO CONE CRAZY!!!
In honor of June being NATIONAL PERENNIAL GARDEN MONTH, I decided to highlight one of my favorite perennials – ECHINACEA.
If you are looking to add some flowering perennials to your sunny landscape this summer, be sure to consider adding coneflower to your list of plants. Coneflowers get their common name from the middle of the flower, called the disk. The dark brown disk area is made up of many small individual flowers. This grouping of flowers in the center is cone-shaped and prickly to the touch. The outer portion of the flowerhead, the petals, is composed of several small flowers called ray flowers.
Before I go any further, I want to highlight Echinacea purpurea – Purple Coneflower. Purple Coneflower is a low-maintenance NATIVE perennial plant that provides environmental benefits. It attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies, while its seeds feed birds like goldfinches. This plant thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, growing up to 4 feet tall. For me, one of the most useful traits of purple coneflower is that it requires almost no maintenance and will add summer color and interest to your sunny garden for years.
Another huge benefit of all coneflowers is that deer are not attracted to this perennial because the foliage is rough to the touch.
All varieties of coneflowers will grow in less-than-perfect soils with a wide range of pH levels. I always recommend enriching the soil at planting time with leaf compost and composted cow manure or mushroom compost. You want to avoid poorly-draining soil.
As with most plantings, be sure to read the plant label to give it the room it needs. Proper spacing between plants increases air circulation, helping wet foliage dry quickly and preventing diseases such as leaf spot and powdery mildew.
In the fall, it is best to cut back coneflower stems to about 10 to 12 inches from the ground in order to provide the correct diameter of hollow stem for beneficial insects. Come spring, wait until the temperature is consistently above 50 degrees before cutting back the dead stems and any remaining leaves.
Even though it is now late June, this is still a very good time to plant. Come see us. We have a good selection of coneflowers for you to admire.
PLANT A LITTLE HAPPINESS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!