Notable for a dashing display of bold, daisy-like cut flowers and an easy-to-get-along-with personality, Echinacea is favored by beginning and experienced gardeners for its colorful yet indestructible nature. Sculpted with prominent raised central cones, the hefty flower heads of this summer-blooming perennial are lifted above the greenery on sturdy stems, which are firm enough to hold them without staking. Native to the eastern and central U.S., the dark green, lanceolate leaves are reminiscent of a close relative, Rudbeckia. Perfect in a perennial border or peppered throughout a meadow garden, Coneflower’s erect stalks complement the more relaxed look of other plants.
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