Coneflowers (Echinacea) works with bugs

Coneflowers Good To Grow

Everyone is getting excited about echinacea these days – and not just because it's a pretty flower. Recent scientific studies have proven that taking echinacea daily does help us resist the common cold.

The usual method is to buy a bottle of a tincture made from the roots, then put a few drops in a glass of water every day. This is said to strengthen the immune system. However, don't do it you have an immune system disease like Lupus.

Medicinal properties aside, echinacea is a delight in the garden, easy to grow and tolerant of poor soil. It reaches about a metre high, with flowers that have curious droopy petals. The seedheads, which keep getting bigger and bigger as the summer wears on, look like beehives.

(Leave them on the plant all winter, as some birds love the seeds.)

The most common kind is Echinacea angustifolia, which has pale pink flowers. However, since echinacea is regarded as a "hottie" plant, growers keep coming out with new varieties – some good, some less so. A couple of years ago, I tried one with orangey flowers called MeadowBrite and it promptly died. This year, though, I picked up a variety called PixieMeadowBrite at Sheridan's. It's a real charmer, and is producing a non-stop parade of peachy orange flowers.

Grow echinacea in a sunny spot. It looks best in clumps of at least three. Although often touted as drought-tolerant, I find this plant tends to droop in dry weather, but it recovers nicely after rain. It's also – a big plus in my book – rarely bothered by bugs.