Coneflower, a Low Maintenance Plant

Echinacea, or purple coneflower, once grew in my garden. Birds, bees and butterflies love it, and I like its traditional cottage garden look and its interesting history. Native Americans and early settlers used it extensively for medicinal purposes. Reports say it reduces fever and arthritis symptoms and helps to prevent migraines. Parts of the plant are known to boost the immune system, and it is sold today in capsules, tablets, powder, gels, and creams. I have experimented, and the mature leaves, although a bit fuzzy, do not have a bad taste. Young, smooth leaves, however, are bitter!

I was happy to grow it in my garden, because it is a low-maintenance plant that is usually pest and disease free. So I was disappointed a few years ago when all my plants developed a virus, causing yellow splotches on the leaves and deformed foliage and flowers. Eventually I pulled the plants up and crossed coneflower off my list.

Not so fast! Last week I was walking in my garden when I noticed an unfamiliar purple splotch in my front garden. I checked it out and found a stand of coneflowers, disease free and blooming freely! Though coneflowers are said to be sun lovers, this is in a partially shaded area, at least fifty yards from the location of the original plants.

Echinacea blooms June till fall in zones 4-9. It will survive drought and will grow in medium to poor soil. There are modern cultivars that bloom in many shades of pink, purple, orange, yellow, and even green. Some have double decker flowers, with a second row of petals sprouting from the cone. Now that coneflower has shown me where it wants to grow, I am tempted to purchase some of these great new varieties. But I love the original purple ones, and I am glad they are happy in my garden. 

Maintenance? Obviously, it didn't need me at all!

Tropicana Canna Lily

It was love at first sight, even though I didn't like canna lilies and preferred softer colors in my garden. 

Softer colors?  I reminded myself that pastels wash out to nothingness in the hot Alabama sun. I looked at the plant in front of me. Tropicana Canna Lily looked very suited to my subtropical climate. Its name declared it so. I studied the price tag. It cost too much, so I left the nursery without it. But I couldn't stop thinking about it and later returned to buy it.

I love Tropicana because of its bold foliage, which can reach four to six feet in height. It is what it is, without apology. It is as loud as a fire truck.

Tropicana's foliage has purple, orange, and blue-green stripes that glow when backlit by the sun, and it holds its orange blossoms aloft like bright torches. Mine has just put out its first bloom of the season.

Tropicana is hardy to zone 7, but it may survive outdoors in zones 5 to 6 if planted deep enough to escape the frozen earth. In colder climates the rhizomes need to be dug and stored inside for the winter. It does best in slightly acid to neutral, moist but well drained soil and may spread rapidly in ideal conditions. I planted mine in full sun, close to a water hose. It can also tolerate some shade. I have divided the clump several times. I now have Tropicana growing in several locations and have had plenty to give away to friends.

Tropicana's main pest is the Brazilian skipper butterfly, a little brown butterfly with diamond shaped markings in shades of white and gray on its wings. The caterpillars roll up the leaves and feed on them. The plant also will begin to look tattered if it lacks fertilizer or moisture. I usually water it when I fill the nearby bird feeder, and that keeps it happy. The birds like this plant too, and I have seen them eating its blossoms. That doesn't bother me.

If deadheaded, Tropicana will usually sprout new blooms, right up till fall. Deadhead them by clipping the old blooms at the end of the stalk. The stalk will soon send out new blooms.