The leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping and the holiday season is just around the corner! Â 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. Â 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. Â Whenever I see one of its distinct blooms, nostalgia inevitably follows, but then I get those tingly feelings anytime I am around plants! Â 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!