Tip of the Week — 10/6/08

Posted in Gardening Tips on October 6 2008, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Birds Love Coneflower Seed Heads
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden.
The other day I watched goldfinches fight each other for a chance to sit on the ripe seed heads of my coneflowers (Echinacea). Once the birds get a foothold, they perch precariously on the spiky seed heads and feast. This ability to attract birds is why I leave the seed heads on Echinacea, unlike most of my perennials, which I constantly deadhead to encourage more bloom. 

The magenta flowers of Echinacea always bring a smile to my face. One of my favorite coneflowers is a cultivar called ‘Rubinstern’, sometimes touted as ‘Ruby Star’. It possesses a vibrant shade of magenta that flowers dependably and continuously from late summer into early autumn in my garden.

My favorite fragrant coneflower is a pure white cultivar called ‘Fragrant Angel’. On a sunny day the fragrance is delicious. Recently, I was swept off my feet by an orange-flowered cultivar named ‘Sundown’ or ‘Evan Saul’. I was impressed by its sturdy stems and beautiful flower—a brilliant rust-colored cone and iridescent flowers of orange streaked with yellow.

Regardless of your predilection, a good coneflower is not hard to find, and it will certainly please the birds if you leave the seed heads on to ripen. Just tug off the ray flowers once they have faded and have turned brown and leave the cone intact.