If you look up during the winter, when all the deciduous trees have dropped their leaves, you might spot something still growing up there, tucked in the bare branches.It might be mistletoe, that beautiful parasite that we smooc
06.06.2023 - 19:58 / gardenerspath.com / Kristine Lofgren
How to Grow and Care for Coneflowers, A Native American Favorite Echinacea spp.Coneflowers are the ultimate triple threat. They add beauty to the garden, can be used as food and medicine, and are about as unfussy as they come.
It makes sense, then, that this popular perennial has transitioned from a humble prairie flower to a mainstay across the country.
It’s hard to comprehend how many plants we use in the US that aren’t native here. Most of the things filling our gardens come from other places, not to mention the many foreign plants growing in our wilderness areas.
But the coneflower is a true American original. Native to the plains region, you can find them growing wild everywhere east of the Rockies except for New Hampshire and Vermont, and they’re cultivated from coast to coast.
We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
No longer limited to the simple blossoms in white, pink, yellow, and purple found in the wild, they now come in orange, salmon, red, maroon, and a combination of multiple colors.
You can even find showy double blossoms if you want something a bit more striking.
Whether you’re curious to know how to care for your coneflowers or you want to explore adding them to your garden for the first time, this guide has you covered. Up ahead, here’s what you can expect:
Honestly, these plants are so easy to care for that you could plop them just about anywhere and ignore them and they’d probably still thrive.
But you want your coneflowers to be the best they can be, right? Then let’s not wait any longer to jump into all the details!
Cultivation and HistoryPlants in the Echinacea genus are part of the same botanical family as daisies and sunflowers.
If you look up during the winter, when all the deciduous trees have dropped their leaves, you might spot something still growing up there, tucked in the bare branches.It might be mistletoe, that beautiful parasite that we smooc
Can we talk about wisteria for a minute? I mean, a vine in full bloom is like something straight out of a fairy tale.The long, vibrant clusters of blossoms and t
A larch is a pretty dramatic sight to behold. The trees are ramrod straight and covered in bright green, inch-long needles that shift to golden yellow in the fall.They’ve adapted to extreme conditions, perch
Arrowhead plants are unkillable.Okay, you could probably manage it if you tried, but you’d r
The cattleya orchid is known for being a bit of a show-off. If your interior design scheme is sleek, spare, and modern, these might not be your cup of tea.But if you can imagine yourself spinning down the mi
Finding flowers in your food isn’t as surprising as it used to be. Marigolds and pansies are a pretty common sight in salads, and candied rose petals and violets decorate all kinds of desserts.But I have yet to order a dish at a restaurant and find fuchsia flowers –
Blueberries are popular with home gardeners because, let’s face it, they’re delicious. But while the berries get most of the attention, the bushes are beautiful plants in their own right.Blueberry plants bloom during mid- to late spring – t
When you grow houseplants, you bring some of the outdoors in.But much of the time, houseplants are adorably short, traili
Listen, I adore roses, but even I can admit that categorizing these plants has gotten a little bit, shall we say, confusing.I mean, a “shrub” is a group classification, but al
If you’re just starting out with roses, chances are that someone will tell you to try growing a shrub rose first.They’re easy to handle bec
If you’ve ever checked out the roses at your local nursery, I’m sure you’ve noticed that some appear to grow small and have petite blossoms, while others are big and bushy, with blossoms that look like they must have a thousand petals. Maybe you’ve heard of wild or tea roses, but you’re wondering w
The fantastic, easygoing Rocky Mountain juniper is a North American native that’s used to spruce up formal gardens and natural spaces alike.Birds love it, it can thrive in difficult-to-fill spots, and it a