The leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping and the holiday season is just around the corner!  In the spirit of the cooler weather that has moved in (whether we like it or not), this week’s plant of the week is a fall favorite, the Coneflower.  Personally, the Coneflower reminds me of cornfields dried and ready for the harvest, time spent at the pumpkin patch with family, and hot cider on a cool crisp day.  Whenever I see one of its distinct blooms, nostalgia inevitably follows, but then I get those tingly feelings anytime I am around plants!  Memory lane is coming to an end, so now let’s talk about how the coneflower will fit into your garden.

A bright and cheerful flower, the coneflower adds a burst of color to the fall season.  Bloom colors match the leaves’ earth tone color scheme in fall and can be used as cuttings to bring inside for a bouquet.  Easy to care for, the sun loving coneflower can handle the dry weather that Indiana can experience.  Coneflowers have a daisy like flower with a raised “cone” center that holds its seeds. These seeds attract songbirds, and the cone can add some short term winter interest as well.

Next week we will talk about a crazy interesting plant that likes to pretend it’s a submarine. In the mean time, let us know how you have used coneflowers in your garden!