Purple Coneflower

Summer brings a wide variety of blooms to my garden. Some are exotic and come from far away places and others, like the purple coneflower, are as American as apple pie.

They grow wild in fields and along the roadsides in many parts of the country. And of course, you can just about always find them in gardens these days because they are such super perennials. It's amazing how bright and fresh the blooms look even in the hot summer sun. They make excellent cut flowers and I often use them in arrangements.

There's a lot more to this plant than just a pretty face. You can find it in almost any health food store, but not as purple coneflower or as showy blooms. Its other name, the botanical name, is echinacea and if taken in pill form it can actually boost the immune system.

I know this isn't the cold and flu season, but there's nothing nastier than a summer cold. What's amazing about these beautiful garden flowers is that they can actually reduce the symptoms of a cold and cut down on its duration. The active ingredient is extracted from the root of coneflower and it's freeze dried to help preserve some of its potency before it's put into pill form.

Now echinacea isn't regarded as a cure for any particular problem. It's just a way to help bolster the body's immune system to get ready to fight and that's the reason it's best to take it at the onset of the symptoms of cold or flu.

From the garden, I'm P. Allen Smith.

Copyright: 1997
P. Allen Smith Gardens
Hortus LTD.

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Howto & Style

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[kaisenji]

Not only that bees love it!

[Spiritree41]

Thanks...They are so cute : )