Echinacea purpurea 'Vintage Wine' (PBR)
coneflower
- Position: full sun
- Soil: most soils, except very dry or boggy
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering period: June to September
- Hardiness: fully hardy
An unusual variety of coneflower with scented, deep pink flowers that have shorter, stiffer petals than other varieties, and deep brown central cones. This cheerful, daisy-like echinacea flowers from midsummer through to autumn. It is a tough plant that does not need staking and it makes an excellent cut flower. Like other coneflowers, it is long-flowering and will cope well with adverse weather conditions, except drought. Try it dotted through a sunny, mixed border or in bold drifts among grasses. It is attractive to bees and butterflies and birds will flock to the seedheads. - Garden care: Lift and divide congested colonies in autumn or spring. In autumn cut back all dead flower stems to the ground. Coneflowers benefit from a spring or autumn mulch with well-rotted compost.
Anemanthele lessoniana
pheasant's tail grass (syn. Stipa arundinacea )
Versatile and colourful
Stipa tenuissima
stipa ( syn. Stipa tenuifolia )
Lovely architectural Grass
Geranium himalayense 'Gravetye'
cranesbill
Large, purple-blue flowers with reddish centres
How to encourage beneficial insects
All pests have natural enemies. The trick in an organic garden is to encourage these beneficial insects and other creatures to take up residence in your garden so that they can do the pest management for you. The most effective...
Read full articleHow to use companion plants
Companion planting is a method of growing different plants adjacent to one another for the benefit of one or both of the companions. Some plants are thought to confuse or act as a decoy to potential pests, while a few...
Read full articlePrairie
Indulge a passion for ornamental grasses by creating a prairie- or meadow-style garden. They can be richly planted with native wildflowers or a selection of complementary perennials and self-seeding annuals to create a naturalistic planting effect. Prairie gardens often...
Read full article
Strident-pink petals, much shorter than most, surround a wide burnished-brown central disc and this jewel-box echinacea makes a great dried flower too
Val Bourne - Garden Writer