Echinacea purpurea Alba - Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea 'Alba', a variety of Echinacea purpurea, is a beautiful and easy-to-grow perennial. It is a floriferous perennial, forming a bushy and regular clump covered with large contrasting daisies throughout the summer, spreading their white and trailing ligules around an orange cone with green and brown reflections. Its rough foliage stands out with its dark green colour. This plant is ideal for cutting or drying flowers. It is also a very resistant plant that adapts to difficult conditions: to beginner gardeners, occasionally to intense heat, humidity, and drought. It can even grow in poor soils.

Native to the western United States, Rudbeckia purpurea is a perennial with a strong character that resembles nothing known, but boldly colonizes rocky meadows, savannas, light woodlands, and road edges in its natural habitat. 'Alba' is the white form of this formidable pioneer. It has a dense and neat clump-like habit, reaching 80cm (32in) in height and 50cm (20in) in width. The dark green leaves are covered in rough hairs. The flowering period extends from July until the end of summer, accompanying the flowering of Inulas, asters, and ornamental tobacco plants. It is highly visited by butterflies. The sparsely branched stems are topped with a solitary inflorescence in a large head measuring 8cm (3in) in diameter. The prominent central disc resembles a pompom of tiny orange florets. Surrounding it, the white ligules with green bases are trailing. This plant anchors firmly and deeply in the ground with its highly developed root system.

The 'Alba' Purple Coneflower offers a highly contrasting flowering display, harmonizing with other simple perennials in cottage gardens. It is used in mixed borders with other simple flowers that provide contrasting forms (dahlias, daisies, daylilies, carnations) or alongside Inulas, asters, yarrows, daisies, globe thistles, and Phlox. Lighten up the scene by incorporating some ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia, Muhlenbergia capillaris... Splendid in borders, the highly unique flower of this Echinacea will make a statement in fresh or dried flower arrangements.

Benefits : In homeopathy, its root is used to fight colds and strengthen the immune system. These properties have been used by Native Americans.