We all love daisies for their simple smiley faces and especially those that flower through mid-summer! From our earliest childhood we draw them, in teenage years we pluck their petals and, even into adulthood, we tend to doodle them. Daisies are big sellers in the garden centre in springtime when they are at their most shining but it's the summer-flowering daisies that are so loved simply because flowers are rather sparse on the ground during the hottest months. Gaillardias, rudbeckias, helianthus and coreopsis are some of the summer lovers but the best of all is probably echinacea or cone flower.
Most of you will recognise the name because of its medicinal properties; it is well known for warding off winter colds and it has been in cultivation for hundreds of years specifically for this purpose. As an ornamental, it has surged in popularity over recent years with breeders in Holland and the U.S. battling for supremacy; the moody purple of echinacea purpurea has been upstaged by summer colours, sunset shades, fruity mango and spicy paprika hues. The chunky central cone is often lost under a flurry of petals in new varieties and there are double, frilled and reflexed petals too. Their name stems from the Greek echinos meaning a hedgehog; their somewhat prickly central cone does indeed look somewhat hedgehog-like! Some call it the hedgehog coneflower.
Daisies are what we call composite flowers which means that the central mass is actually hundreds of tiny fertile flowers which the birds, bees and butterflies home in on to collect nectar. The outer showy 'petals' are sterile flowers used to flag and attract passing pollinators. Once fertilised, these outer florets drop off and the cone turns into the seed head. These will hold on the plant well into late autumn; they look great as a contrast to tawny wispy grasses and the birds go crazy for all those seeds, so don´t be too quick to cut them down.
Echinaceas belong to the group known as herbaceous perennials which means they need cutting right down during winter (after the birds have had their fun) and they will shoot through strongly again in early spring, the clumps getting bigger yearly. In cooler northern climes, the plants have a tendency to be short-lived perennials, sometimes only lasting five years or so, but I've never found that to be the case here; they seem much happier in our drier conditions and they are, of course, a prairie plant. They are very cold hardy, reported to survive as low as -20C but too much cold and damp together seems to be detrimental to them. Yellow strains of echinaceas are usually crosses from e. paradoxa which is a species from dry habitats and, thus, they are not too happy in moist climates. So, as often happens, too much breeding can expose problems in performance. But even if you only get five years out of them, for what they cost they are well worth it. If longevity is important to you and you live in a wet winter area, choose the original e. purpurea (which will often self-seed too) or the older breedings; the Ruby series, Alba which is a pale green almost white and Magnus, a pretty rosy-purple if you can find them they are all good. The yellow, orange, peach colours are perfectly happy in drier Mediterranean climes.
Once settled in, coneflowers can make some height, maybe up to 1m tall, though in dryer, harder conditions 0.5m is more normal. They need well-drained soil and will take full sun, dappled shade or the sort of situation where they will receive around half a day of sunshine; this is sufficient to keep them in good flower. Deadhead during the spring and summer months to encourage prolific flushes of flowering well into autumn, leaving October flowers to set seed for the birds or, maybe, to expand your own plants. Once planted, leave them alone; they do not like being transplanted so choose your spot carefully. Otherwise it's an easy and tolerant plant, ideal if you are a novice gardener! Massed they look stunning and the cut flowers last for ages indoors too. They are one of our top pollinator plants; butterflies adore them, it's a visual feast watching them hovering over the rainbow range of daisies and just one more reason for planting them.
Once you've got your plants, you can easily make them go further! Root cuttings can be taken in early winter from the dormant plants. Gently scrape away the soil to expose the fleshy roots and you will need to cut away a section, approx. 10cm long, with a healthy shoot coming from it. Pot this and it will soon develop into a nice new plant. You can also split large clumps or, collect some seeds before the birds take them, sow into a seed tray and leave it outside all winter to cold stratify the seeds; they will germinate with the arrival of warmer springtime weather.
Traditionally the plant has long been used against the common cold and sore throats, toothache, burns and in the treatment of poison ivy wheals. Teas would be concocted from the long fleshy tap roots for treatment and general strengthening of the immune system; the leaves and flowers also have medicinal properties but are milder. Today we still use it as an immune-system strengthener, as a viral and bacterial anti-infection, blood purifier, anti-inflammatory agent, for curing skin rashes and as an antidote to insect and snake bites. Most herbal shops would stock it in pill form.
But if you feel a cold coming on, make this tasty and immune-boosting tea:
2 cups of boiling water, 1 cup of echinacea leaves/flowers, 1 culm of lemon grass and 1 sprig of spearmint. Steep them altogether for 15 minutes and strain. Lemon juice/honey/stevia can be added to personal taste. If you make the tea with roots, they are much more bitter and stronger tasting.
It is so much more than a pretty smiley face!
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT VIVEROS FLORENA, CÓMPETA
IS CLOSED FOR SUMMER HOLIDAYS FROM 29TH JULY RE-OPENING ON 4TH SEPTEMBER
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER
AND WE'LL SEE YOU ALL AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER THE VIVEROS FLORENA TEAM.
