Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Purple Coneflower is a beautiful, hardy perennial native to North America, producing large, daisy-like flowers with vibrant pinkish-purple petals surrounding a prominent, spiky, copper-orange central cone. Flowering from midsummer into autumn, it grows approximately 60–120 cm tall and returns year after year. A great source of food for birds in winter. Keep it standing through the winter. The beautiful seed heads will gather piles of snow on top and give a dramatic silhouette! 

An excellent addition to pollinator gardens, wildflower meadows, food forests and perennial beds, Purple Coneflower attracts bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects. Its seed heads provide valuable food for birds, particularly goldfinches, throughout autumn and winter. Leaving the dried stems and flower heads standing also provides shelter for wildlife.

Echinacea has a long history of traditional medicinal use among Indigenous peoples of North America, particularly for infections, wounds and other ailments. Today, it is widely known as an herbal plant associated with immune health, although scientific evidence for its medicinal effectiveness remains mixed.

Easy to grow, Purple Coneflower thrives in full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. Once established, it tolerates drought and requires little maintenance.

For best germination, sow seeds outdoors in autumn or winter in pots left under the snow. Alternatively, cold-stratify seeds in a moist medium in the refrigerator for 4–8 weeks before spring sowing. Sow shallowly and keep moist until germination. Plants may flower in their first year, but often bloom more abundantly from the second year onward.

At least 25 seeds per packet.