Native Perennial
Sun: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Dry, Moist
Drought Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Moist to dry, acid or lime soils, preferably rich
Height: 3'
Leaf: Green
Flower: Flowers 3 to 5 inches across.
Bloom Color: Pink, Purple
Bloom Time: Jun, July
Bloom Notes: Color ranges from a pink so pale it almost appears white to rose.
Attracts: Butterflies, Native Bees, Hummingbirds
Pollinator Benefits: Xerces Society notes Special Value to Native Bees
Host: Silvery Checkerspot Butterfly
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Pale Purple Coneflower should be planted in well-drained soil in full to partial sunlight. Most native Coneflowers dislike soil that is kept excessively moist or has poor drainage and they will start to rot in these situations. Once the taproot is established it is extremely drought-tolerant and needs little care, but then also may be difficult to move. In the past all of the Purple Coneflowers were used as medicinal plants by the Native Americans. There is still a market for the roots, which are used to make herbal medicines and tonics.
Pale Purple Coneflower grows up to 3' feet tall and has very pale purple to pink flowers. It blooms in early summer when only a few of the sun loving plants are in bloom and provides nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies, and the leaves provide food for the Ottoe-skipper larva. Also easy-to-establish and a prairie icon is its cousin, Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), which has a deeper purple flower and will bloom just at the tail end of Pale Purple Coneflower's bloom cycle. Planting these two together will give you many, many weeks of Echinacea blooms.
An attractive bloomer for flower gardens and meadows.
Supplier Note: NOT a Michigan Genotype
Source: www.wildflower.com, www.prairiemoon.com