Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Wildflower/Native Wednesday-Coneflowers

From In the Garden

CONFLOWERS with three special friends.


From In the Garden
This month's Wildflower Wednesday (brought to you by Gail) is going to spotlight the purple coneflower. It is a perfect month to spotlight this wonderful easy care, butterfly magnet, native flower because purple coneflowers are at their peak this month. The purple coneflower is a showstopping flower while in bloom but the show continues almost all year long even when the coneflower is not in bloom. The seedheads are spectacular for several months after the bloom has passed and help to feed American finches during the winter. One of the great benefits of natives, IMHO, is that they provide food and other benefits for the native fauna, such as butterflies and birds and bees and so on. Coneflowers fill the bill easily with their all around goodness.

From In the Garden
The butterflies visiting the garden and in particular these coneflowers were simply delightful and I think I could almost sit outside and watch them all day. If only daily living did not call I just might move a recliner to the garden!

From In the Garden

This particular photo is of some coneflowers in my front foundation gardens. They are doing really well in the front foundation gardens and I love the cottagey look of them. It is a good spot for these coneflowers because the front borders receive the eastern and southern sun and sun is pretty important for coneflowers. I do admit, coneflowers do okay in the shade but never reach their full potential unless grown in full sun.

From In the Garden

Coneflowers grow to about 2-4 feet tall and can form clumps as wide. Butterflies are attracted to them in a big way. After the bloom time is past, the flowers dry right on the stalks.
Deadheading coneflowers will not result in another bloom such as you get with salvias and catmint. I leave mine up nearly all winter for the finches to dine off from. They will really pick them clean too. You need do nothing to have some seeds fall off and sprout right in your garden, but if you'd like, you can cut the heads after they are mature and spread them around the garden. I think I'd do this in the fall but it would work in the spring too.

There are other than purple coneflowers and of the purples there are several varieties. I like them all but am particular to the purple (Magnus) and white ones (White Swan) since I find they are easiest to grow....

in the garden....

32 comments:

  1. Wowee kazowee! Those are the most beautiful coneflowers I have ever soone and with so many butterflies too! I am stunned by their magnificence. :-0
    Frances

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  2. Ditto what Frances said! Those conflowers are the best ever looking beauties! I would have to put a chair in front of them so I could look at them and the butterflies and bees that must be so darned happy! Glad you joined the celebration~mr Linky is up if you want to link~gail

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  3. Your cones are beautiful, if I was a butterfly, that's where I'd be. This is one of only two perennials that self seed in my garden. I must have just the right place.

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  4. Coneflowers and butterflies just go together! What a lovely grouping you have with the purple and white together. I just added white last year from seeds, so mine aren't mature and glorious yet -- a few have already bloomed and I like the white swan so much.

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  5. Would you put two recliners out there? I'd be inclined to join you! Your flowers and butterflies are breathtaking, Tina. I've not had success with coneflowers for some reason. I'm going to try them again but in a couple of different spots before I give up on them. Do you add anything special to the soil to keep them so healthy?

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  6. They are wonderful wildlife feeding stations Tina! I've been amazed how many butterflies we've had this year. It's so much fun watching them on the coneflowers. We've had more goldfinches this year than usual too, and boy, are they enjoying the seedheads!

    Your coneflowers are gorgeous!

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  7. I do love my coneflowers! Thank goodness the little worms I found in some of the heads are now gone. I did as you said and cut the infected heads off and that did the trick--but I have had several other bloggers tell me they had the same problem, little tiny greenish worms. Nature! :)
    Have a great day!

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  8. So pretty! I don't know about you, but I never get tired of coneflowers. In fact, I have a vase of purple and white coneflowers on my desk right now!

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  9. I love your coneflowers, and mine too! I saw a swallowtail on mine yesterday, too! It was fluttering about a lot and it was hard to take a photo, but yours turned out well.

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  10. Wow, you do get a lot of butterflies on your coneflowers. I am happy if one stops by. Great pictures!.

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  11. beautiful coneflowers, they are such a wonderful addition to any garden

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  12. I enjoyed your post today as it all about one of the best plants for the native plant garden. The wildlife sure thinks so too. What a wonderful shot of the butterflies on the coneflower.

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  13. Your purple and white coneflowers are beautiful but then again, all the flowers in your gardens are beauties! You must feed them some yummy foods to be so healthy looking. My garden is a bit sad this year with lack of attention from me. I am happy to enjoy your beauties through the air waves....

    The birds will not miss one seed head will they? Could you save me one for my next visit?

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  14. Hi Tina, my coneflowers are almost finished. There will be a lot fewer butterflies here when they are gone. Can't believe how many swallowtails you have. I never have more than one, maybe two at a time in my garden.

    Magnus is my favorite too, lost my White Swan so I'll have to get another. I'm planning to add additional areas of coneflower this fall. In the past they have had some wilting disease but this year they are prime.
    Marnie

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  15. Oh what eye candy we have today!!!! Just awesome. I can just barely get a photo with 1 bitterfly, but 3 all at once. Again, awesome.

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  16. Amazing to have 3 butterflies at once! We really only see one at a time. The Coneflowers are so pretty, I just love them, they're just starting to bloom here.

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  17. The captures are very very enticing... I loved them so much that I even saved the first (conflower with guests) as my wallpaper.... ;) I hope it is ok.....

    Hugs )))))

    Ash....
    (http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

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  18. I am most late today and won't even say hi to everyone on here but I hope I've said hi to you all on your blogs. I so enjoy these posts Gail! I learn a lot from everyone doing the Wildflower Wednesdays and the choices are staggering.

    W2W, Two recliners for sure for an old friend. I don't do anything to the soil for the coneflowers but guess what I just read? They like the soil lean. Ha! That is not the way I garden but I do find the self seeders do better than the ones I intentionally plant and pamper. Maybe that is the trick. Forget about them.

    Skeeter, Better yet I'll give you a division. Seeds-take too too long.

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  19. Your coneflowers look lovely! My pink double delights are blooming now and are so fun. I also brought home 'Green Jewel' from the nursery last week - very green petals and a nice fragrance. It's amazing how many choices there are for echinacea now.

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  20. Hello.I love coneflowers and if I have understand right they grow naturally there..wildflowers,how lucky are you.Here in Finland you buy them from gardenshops and they cost about 10 euros (expensive).I have few of them but I want as much as you have,yours is breathtaking beautiful,I love it.
    Have a nice summer
    Henreitta

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  21. Really impressive flowers -and what a great shot of the butterflies. I hope you're doing good and ready for the start back to school. Busy, busy, busy here but it's all good. Ciao!

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  22. The coneflowers are great but those flying flowers are what I spotted right away. Wow!

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  23. You know you don't have to sell me on coneflowers, Tina:) They really are such butterfly magnets, aren't they? If I get nothing else done in the garden all day, I at least spend a little time watching all the butterflies and bees coming to visit the coneflowers. I'd love to get a photo of a goldfinch on one, too, but they always see me coming. I also leave the dried seedheads up all winter, which is probably why the coneflower population has tripled around here the past few years:)

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  24. I am impressed with your flowers and your butterflies!

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  25. Okay, I will trade you a Tiger Lily for a Cone Flower :-)

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  27. I did not know about the deadheading. They bloom so late that I don't even bother with my short season. I can admire yours though! Lovely butterflies.

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  28. Coneflowers make me think of a Maine summers too. I love how they attract butterflies. Nice shots!

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  29. I love your idea of moving a recliner to the garden! Sounds great and so many times it would come in handy.
    I couldn't agree with you more on the coneflowers but I'm really in awe of the butterflies! I can't get a photo of a single butterfly and here you have triplets. (I have lots of coneflowers too, darn it) Fantastic Tina. I'm glad to see so many of both.

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  30. Tina your photos are just fabulous - I think if I was weeding in your garden I would never get much done as all the little butterflies would be distracting me and I would be spending my time gazing at them instead.

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  31. Those are some great shots, love those coneflowers. :)

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