One of my favorite perennials is echinacea, and that's saying something. When I designed my flower beds, I used about 200 varieties of native and xeric perennials.
Below is a cool variety, the fireworks echinacea. Aptly named!
I've read and heard that it's tough to grow these from seed, but I just wait til the seed heads are solid black then sew them in other areas. A coupe of shots here of plants I've grown this way:
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Yes, that's one of our chickens!
Some people make tea from the flowers for use against colds and flu, among other remedies. I mainly have them for their color and for the pollinators. Also, if you leave some of the seed heads on over winter, you'll make a few birds happy.
