Common Name: purple coneflower
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Zone: 3 to 8
Height: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Spread: 1.50 to 2.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to August
Bloom Description: White rays with orange-yellow center cone
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy
Attracts: Birds, Butterflies
Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Clay Soil, Dry Soil, Shallow-Rocky Soil
Culture
Easily grown in average, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Best in full sun. This is an adaptable plant that is tolerant of drought, heat, humidity and poor soil. Divide clumps when they become overcrowded (about every 4 years). Plants rebloom well without deadheading, however prompt removal of spent flowers encourages continued bloom and improves general appearance. May be grown from seed.
Noteworthy Characteristics
'Lucky Star' is an upright, widely-branched, clump-forming, white-flowered coneflower that typically grows to 24-36" tall and to 18-24" wide on sturdy stems that do not need staking. It is a seed strain. Flowers appear in a floriferous bloom from late spring to late summer, sometimes with additional sporadic bloom until frost. Each flower (to 3" diameter) features white rays that are perpendicular to the stem. The rays surround an orange-yellow center cone. Strigose, narrow-ovate leaves (to 4" long) with serrated margins are medium green. Good fresh cut or dried flower. The dead flower stems will remain erect well into the winter, and if flower heads are not removed, the blackened cones may be visited by goldfinches or other birds that feed on the seeds. Echinacea comes from the Greek word echinos meaning hedgehog in reference to the spiny center cone found on most flowers in the genus.
Problems
Japanese beetle and leaf spot are occasional problems. Susceptible to aster yellows disease.
Uses
Border fronts, rock gardens or part shade areas of open woodland gardens. Best in groups or massed. Attractive specimen/accent.