Echinacea purpurea
It’s the middle of winter, and the seed and plant catalogues have been arriving in the mailbox, providing the only bright spots of color to Northern gardeners tired of gazing upon a monochromatic world. How easy it is to be enticed by the images and descriptions of plants. You remember to include plants for wildlife in any purchases you make this year, including coneflowers (Echinacea species). Coneflowers are valuable nectar sources for bees and butterflies, and the seeds are eaten by goldfinches, so you decide to add some to your garden. You turn to the coneflower listings and find a plethora of colors and forms.
(Image Courtesy of Mary Ann of Gardens of the Wild, Wild West.)
Look at those yellows, reds and oranges! And the double forms are out of this world! Stop — back away from the catalogue or the mouse. Have a drink of cold water and settle down.
I’m sorry to inform you that those amazing new coneflowers are not the way to go if you want to plant for wildlife. These newer types of Echinaceas are a lower quality food source than the species. For an anecdotal example, take a look at a video I made of bees and coneflowers in my Nanoprairie. These cultivars aren’t just naturally occurring variations, but are the result of deliberate crosses between different species of Echniacea which are propagated by tissue culture. Many of these cultivars are sterile, meaning no seeds for the hungry birds. Even worse are the doubled forms, which confuse pollinators and make it hard for butterflies to land on them. Scientists have learned that, in general, doubled flower forms do not provide the food value to wildlife as the single forms.
If you feel you must have one of these crazy new cultivars, just make sure you have plenty of the straight species of coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, E. pallida, E. tennesseensis, and E. paradoxa. The wildlife will thank you.
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Barbara, you’re right about all of the new cultivars – they are beautiful but not so valuable to wildlife. Perhaps if someone wants to add different types, they could plant the perennials in some large pots for the color and know that they won’t produce the seeds for the birds.
Kathy Green recently posted..What Gardening for Nature Teaches Me
That would work well with some of the great dwarf cultivars.
Definitely true! Fortunately there’s still a lot of the straight species available in nurseries, which is more than you can say for some plants…
UrsulaV recently posted..Double Whammy!
It’s also fortunate that many of the non-glitzed up coneflowers are merely seedling variations or sports from the species, and so are still good for wildlife, expecially if they are allowed to cross with the species and go to seed.
Personally, I think the straight species coneflowers are prettier then the new cultivars. Thankfully, there are two local native plant nurseries in Nashville. Seed propagated species plants are grown in conditions similar to mine and not shipped from another part of the country. gail
Gail recently posted..Hope Springs Eternal For Blooms
I do prefer the shuttlecock-shaped blooms of the species, but I do like the dwarf cultivars, which are much easier to use in a small garden.
Thanks for sharing this information. The new cultivars are also more expensive and less hardy. I also agree with Gail that the straight species is much more attractive (who can resist orange and lavender together in one).
The Giving Garden recently posted..Growing Pains- Building a Grow Stand From Scratch
I’m not a fan of orange & lavender together, but somehow, coneflowers make it work.
I agree with this, many of the new cultivars are just not hardy enough to withstand crazy New England winters. The straight Echinacea purpurea species do GREAT thugh, and the goldfinches go gaga over their seeds!
Ellen Sousa recently posted..Comment on Virginia Rose
So true, Barbara. Thanks for sharing this important information. The double-flowered ones put most of their energy budget into making those flowers, so there’s not a lot of nectar for butterflies. It is so easy to be enticed by the catalogs, though. I love your prescription to step away from the mouse LOL
Carole recently posted..Ecosystem Gardening Web Roundup
It’s hard to do, especially when I’ve got a bad case of cabin fever.
RT @WildlifeGarden: Planting for Wildlife Don’t Go Coneflower Crazy in the #WildlifeGarden http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/p…
I was initially tempted by the bright colors of these new coneflowers but I’ve also found that in addition to not being great for wildlife the fancy varieties don’t do as well in the garden as the species. I don’t like to put a lot of effort into maintaining plants – I practice Tough Love. If you don’t like my conditions – Tough; if you DO like my conditions – Love ya!
Diana/ Garden on the Edge recently posted..Houseplant Bloggers Bloom Day
Diana – that is a good point. Some of the new cultivars will also bloom themselves to death, and the advice is to cut off all the buds in the plant’s first year in the garden. That’s too much trouble for me too.
This is such important information, Barbara. Thanks for making your point so beautifully. And thanks to Mary Ann for those fabulous photos!
Frances recently posted..The Thrill Of It All
Mary Ann really came through for me on this. A person can get lost in all the coneflower images.
Great post, Barbara. I grow a lot of the new varieties, but also have many, many native coneflowers spotted around my garden. The thing is, of course, I have huge space so there is a literal banquet for pollinators and other wildlife; lots of native plants, lots of pollinator-friendly introduced plants, and some of the new hybrids too. Not everyone has the space I have, so they need to make their decision on choices based on their personal mindsets.
jodi (bloomingwriter) recently posted..Bursting with indoor colour for Bloom Day
I agree, in a large garden there’s room for such indulgences, but in a small garden like mine, plants have to earn their space. Not that I wouldn’t love to grow Echinacea ‘Green Jewel’.
I mentioned that those new coneflowers had a downside in a recent blog post…
http://www.stonethegardener.com/wp/2011/01/02/looking-back-an-introspective/
I just added a link to this article to that post…
Thanks for an informative discussion.
stone recently posted..stone wrote a new blog post- more winter seedpods
Thanks for the link. It’s an interesting problem.
Great article Barbara!
Why must man “tinker” with nature?
Your wonderful information highlights that plants that are “tinkered” with are not really native. Because some have the same genus name as the natives, people are fooled into thinking they are doing right by nature when the exact opposite is true. Thanks for noting the proper species names to be looking for when planting your beautiful WILDLIFE garden! You’re the best!
Loret recently posted..Butterfly of Winter
We “tinker” because we can. You’re welcome, I just really love Latin and Latin names. I find common names confusing.
Thanks so much for posting this information! It’s something I’ve wondered about but hadn’t been able to find the answer to.
These cultivars are all so new, there hasn’t been much time in which to study them. There probably will be more studies done at some point.
I made sure I planted the native ones in my meadow and throughout the garden so I could also have the new ones
Donna recently posted..Obstacle
I like your cake & eat it too strategy.
Barbara, I salute you for this post! Truthfully I love the simpler elegant lines of our native Echinacea. I cannot find any beauty in a plant or flower that is sterile or that does not offer our garden visitors abundance in nectar. I have not always been aware of this importance and hope that many will read your post and others like it.
Carolflowerhill recently posted..Birds in Review Part Vlll Parenting Baltimore Orioles and Fledglings
I’m still seduced by a pretty face, but with some flowers, I find the simpler forms more striking.
Have to totally agree with Diana who noted that the new kinds are not as hardy or long-producing. Originally seduced by the fantastical colors, I bought a mass of them (this was in PA, by the way, not FL) and was soooo disappointed. Thanks, Barbara, good stuff to know.
sue dingwell recently posted..Red Berry Day at CleanGreen
Sorry you had to learn the hard way about the longevity of these cultivars.