Echinacea SunSeekers White Perfection - Purple Coneflower

Echinacea SunSeekers White Perfection is a variety with large semi-double flowers, bright and visible from afar. The plant is compact, with cream-white flowers with prominent dark green domes. It is floriferous and holds up well in flower beds and pots. Its flowers have numerous petals in multiple rows, surrounding a slightly fragrant large heart that attracts many pollinators. They continue to bloom on the plant for several weeks in summer if faded flowers are removed. They do not fade in the sun, even during hot summer days. It is an easy-to-grow perennial that blends easily with other plants in the garden or on the terrace. Ideal for cutting or drying.

Echinacea SunSeekers White Perfection is a recent horticultural hybrid. This cultivar is part of the remarkable SunSeekers series, which stands out from other echinaceas with their unique shapes and colours that do not fade over time. SunSeekers also have exceptional vigour, producing masses of flowers on short stems, above narrow dark green leaves. This White Perfection variety forms a dense and compact clump of around 50 cm (20in) in all directions. The plant remains strong and upright, demonstrating excellent stability. The opposite lanceolate leaves are dark green and covered in rough hairs. Flowering occurs from July to September and is loved by butterflies. The branched stems each terminate in a solitary flower head with a prominent central disk, initially dark green, becoming lemon yellow, surrounded by slightly pleated, cream-white petals. The fruit is an achene with seeds sought after by birds. This plant firmly and deeply anchors itself in the soil with its well-developed root system.

Rudbeckia SunSeekers White Perfection can be grown in pots or in the ground. This perennial fits well in border beds mixed with other varieties of Echinaceas or in the company of Inulas, compact Tritomas, Achilleas, daisies, Echinops, Coreopsis... Lighten the scene by mixing in some ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia. The beautiful colours of the echinacea are appreciated in fresh or dried flower bouquets.

A medicinal plant: In homoeopathy, the root of echinacea is used to fight colds and strengthen the immune system. These properties were first used by Native Americans. The name Echinacea comes from the Greek echinos meaning "hairy or like a hedgehog" and acea meaning "having the shape of", referring to the appearance of the flower's heart.