"The Many Faces of Echinacea"

Hot new cultivars give classic coneflowers a saucy new facelift!  The tremendous popularity of the valuable North American native Echinaceas, known to gardeners around the country as "coneflowers", have led to exciting new breakthroughs in plant breeding.  Newly cultivated varieties of Echinacea species have recently been introduced across the United States.  After all, what's not to love about a sturdy, extremely hardy perennial with great daisy-like flowers centered on attractive colored cones?

The Plains Indians used Echinacea extensively for insect bites, bee stings and snakebites, as a blood purifier, to treat coughs and sore throats, as well as many other ailments.  In recent decades, scientific research has validated Echinacea's ability to stimulate the immune system, increasing resistance to colds, flu and such infectious diseases as the herpes virus.  Echinacea continues to be the best selling native medicinal plant in North America.

Coneflowers (Echinacea) like well-drained and fertile soil, so you might need to amend your soil with compost or use a high-quality fertilizer to get your plants off to a good start.  They do not like soggy roots, so well drained soil and full sun is really important.  They can also be grown in containers, and are great for picking and drying.  They bloom throughout the summer and well into the fall and are best grown from purchased plants or seeds. 

Now is a wonderful time to become a fan of the cheerful coneflowers.  There are more and more new varieties coming into the trade each season, from the classic purple and ruby standbys to the new and exotic varieties such as Sunrise and Sunset (two stunning new varieties that have yellow and orange blossoms).

Visit Sartin Services Lawncare & Nursery today and let one of our knowledgeable sales associates show you some of our new varieties for this season.  We have the new Ruby Star, Rocky Top, and Kim's Knee High, just to name a few.  With all the new Echinaceas out there, in a wonderful range of colors, you will wish you had room in your garden for several of each.

Happy Gardening!

Larry Vickers