Echinacea purpurea 'VIRGIN' purple coneflower

'Like a Virgin' is not just Madonna’s track but also a beautiful coneflower discovered by world famous landscape designer and plant breeder Petrus Hendricus Oudolf aka Piet Oudolf from Dutch town Hummelo in 2004. Patent No. PP18684 was issued in 2008.

Virgin coneflower became a showstopper ever since we introduced it. Its large, 10-12 cm across flowers have a sweet, medium strong to strong fragrance. They are almost white with very pale lime green hues, and are produced atom about 50 cm tall, strong stems. They open from late May until September and thanks to typical coneflower bloom longevity the plant is usually still full of pretty flowers until October. Their central dome-shaped cones hide plenty of sweet nectar which attracts butterflies, bumble bees, and hawk-moths. Deadheading of spent flowers will encourage formation of new buds and, followed by regular feeding programme, will prolong flowering. Deciduous leaves are lance-shaped, medium green.

Coneflower will tolerate almost any soil type but boggy and highly acidic. It loves full sun. It is suitable for mixed borders with perennials, or can be used as a flowering feature among low shrubs and conifers, and looks lovely when planted in a mass in a container on patios and balconies. Fully hardy to min. -34°C (USDA zone 4), possibly a few degrees lower.

Last update 10-10-2019