Garden flowers and plants: Coneflower
Common name: Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Life Cycle: Perennial. Planting Time: Spring or Fall (Blooming from early to late summer). Bloom Time: Midsummer to fall. Uses: Beds, borders, wildflower meadows. Drought resistant.
The purple coneflower is a beautiful summer flower. The colorful bloom attracts bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. It also has narrower leaves, petals that droop more, and a conical seed head. Aside from its obvious charm as an ornamental plant, Purple cornflower is reputed to have therapeutic value as well.