My wife Nancy has spent a lot of time working in our yard and it really shows. She has watered and weeded regularly and keeps things trim with edgers and weed eaters. Throughout the yard, her flowers and shrubs are lovely. But the ones I believe both of us are proudest of are the wildflowers she planted around our birdbath. They were perennials and are flowers like you would typically find in a meadow.
One of the flowers she planted was the purple coneflower. Now in their second year in our “miniature meadow”, the coneflowers are really taking off. Last year, our resident flock of goldfinches feasted on the thistle-like seeds and they are doing the same this summer. Having a flower that birds can enjoy is a special treat.
Nancy bought her assortment of meadow flowers last year and simply scattered them in the partly shaded area around our birdbath. The coneflowers are thriving.
Coneflowers are common and popular perennials with many backyard gardeners. Their stems stretch 2 to as much as 5 feet with lovely lavender blooms. I understand that the flowers of this species can be used in herbal teas – to strengthen the immune system, but we haven’t tried that, being content to sit back and admire the beautiful blooms and the goldfinches which come to visit.
Consider purple coneflowers next spring if you have a small space in which you would like to add a bed of beauty.