Nursery Management
Photos courtesy of Mt. Cuba
Echinacea, commonly known as coneflowers, are among the most iconic and recognizable native plants in North America. The earliest documented horticultural use of
Echinacea can be traced to the late 17th century when
Echinacea purpurea seeds were sent to England by the Virginia clergyman and naturalist John Banister. Medicinal use dates back even further as Native Americans used
Echinacea to treat a variety of ailments, a tradition that has carried into modern times.
The nine species of
Echinacea are North American natives and predominantly occur in the central and eastern United States. The majority of wild coneflowers display pink, purple, and rarely white flowers from late spring to summer. Only one species,
Three-year study seeks out top-performing coneflower varieties
By Adrian Higgins The Washington Post,Updated February 21, 2021, 12:00 a.m.
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The long-flowering native purple coneflower emerges in June. Other coneflowers await the curious gardener. MUST CREDIT: Washington Post photo by Adrian HigginsAdrian Higgins/The Washington Post
Wildflowers have long presented a quandary for gardeners. Their natural purity is sometimes too pure. The stems are weak, the flowers are small and fleeting, and the plants often melt away with excessive coddling.
Enter plant hybridizers, patient and ever ready to fix weaknesses and to appeal to the gardener s lust for showier flowers in new colors.
Garden sales, planting dead trees, and bug-beating hemlocks: The latest in gardening news
Updated Feb 18, 2021;
Posted Feb 18, 2021
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New owner for Lancaster’s Conestoga House
Lancaster’s historic Conestoga House and nearly eight acres of gardens, topiaries, hanging baskets, and tropical pots are set to reopen this spring under new ownership.
The one-time Colonial tavern at 1608 Marietta Ave. sold at auction last year to the Lancaster-based Ecklin Development Group, which specializes in redeveloping historic downtowns.
Ecklin bought the property for a reported $755,000 from the James Hale Steinman Conestoga House Foundation and plans to keep it open to public touring as well as private events.
Coneflower, loved by bees and butterflies, is put on trial Adrian Higgins - Washington Post February 18, 2021 2:58 pm
Wildflowers have long presented a quandary for gardeners. Their natural purity is sometimes too pure. The stems are weak, the flowers are small and fleeting, and the plants often melt away with excessive coddling.
Enter plant hybridizers, patient and ever ready to fix weaknesses and to appeal to the gardener’s lust for showier flowers in new colors.
One sun-loving prairie plant you might think needs little of all that breeder’s attention would be the purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea. With its robust, daisylike blooms of pink-purple petals and orange centers, or discs, it provides a great show for a month or more beginning in mid-June. In July, the discs elongate into cones.