Purple coneflower

Purple coneflower is a tough, clump-forming perennial native to the prairies and open woods of central and eastern North America, and a staple of sunny gardens well beyond its native range. It produces daisy-like flower heads with pink-purple drooping ray petals around a raised, bristly orange-and-brown central cone.

• The genus name comes from the Greek word for hedgehog, echinos, a nod to the spiny central cone.
• Goldfinches and other small birds pry seeds out of the dried cones through the winter, so leaving stems standing feeds wildlife.
• Its roots and tops are widely sold as herbal immune supplements, a use borrowed from Plains Indigenous medicine.

Care
Give it full sun and well-drained soil, and avoid rich, soggy ground or overwatering, which makes the stems flop and the crown rot.