Sep 25th, 2012

Coneflower Chorus

by Jonah Holland
Echinacea purpurea

The white version of Echinacea is very elegant.

Photos & text by Albert Brian Vick,  Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Community Kitchen Garden Coordinator
We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our ad hoc trials with companion plants here in the 2012 Lewis Ginter Community Kitchen Garden. Although we’re not yet capable of quantifying the companion plant benefits within our Integrated Pest Management strategy, the anecdotal experience has been very positive. We’ve grown numerous herbaceous plants specifically to attract beneficial insects, and hopefully to deter a few pests. The list is long, and will likely be much longer in 2013. The beauty – and fragrance – of these plants has been rewarding: basil, parsley, chives, dill, tansy, marigolds, salvia, artemisia, eucalyptus, zinnia, nasturtium, and the current star: Echinacea purpurea (coneflower).  A North American native and member of the Aster family, Echinacea purpurea is commonly a purple flower – but we’ve also grown some with white flowers. The herbal suppliment Echinacea – purported to boost the human immune system – is derived from this genus. The clinical evidence proving medical benefits is conflicting, but we do know coneflowers attract butterflies and bees.

Echinacea purpurea

The pink/purple version has a flaming orange-red center.
Echinacea purpurea

The flower spikes are attractive in all stages. Here the petals are just emerging.

About Jonah Holland

Jonah Holland is Digital Content Manager at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, where she has worked for 14 years overseeing social media, the blog, and the website. She is also a mom, yogi, open water swimmer, gardener, and seeker. She's been known to go for a walk in the Garden and come back with hundreds of plant photos, completely inspired to write her next blog post.

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