Echinacea ( Echinacea purpurea)

Echinaceas or coneflowers are both useful and highly decorative.

Echinacea plants are as useful in flower borders as they are in the herb garden and medicine chest. Photograph copyright — Patsy Collins.

Echinacea purpurea is a hardy perennial flower that grows to about two feet high. Slender, dark green leaves are produced at the base of the plant. The purple flowers resemble large daisies with large orange centres. It’s from these prickly cones that the flower gets its name: it’s derived from the Greek work for hedgehog. They’re produced on…