Echinacea purpurea ‘PowWow Wild Berry’
COMMON NAMES
PowWow Wild Berry Coneflower
Echinacea (ek-ih-NAY-see-uh) - from the Greek for hedgehog, in reference to the prickly center cone of the flower
purpurea (pur-PYOO-ree-uh) – purple
‘PowWow Wild Berry’ – cultivar name
OTHER NAMES / SYNONYMS
Echinacea purpurea ‘PAS702917’
GROUP
Dicot
FAMILY
Asteraceae
ORIGIN
United States
DESCRIPTION
PowWow Wild Berry Coneflower is an evergreen herbaceous perennial that averages 18 to 24 inches in height and 1 to 1 ½ feet in width. It is upright and clump-forming with a moderate to fast growth rate.
Leaves are evergreen, 3 to 4 inches long, simple, alternate in arrangement, and dark green.
The daisy-like flowers are an average of 3 to 4 or more inches across, are borne on upright stems, and the large petals surround a copper-colored, large prickly cone. Color can be somewhat variable in hues ranging from purplish/pink to dark rose to magenta. Bloom period is summer to fall.
The prickly cone center produces a heavy crop of seeds.
HARDINESS
Hardy in USDA Zones 3 to 9, it will survive down to about -20 degrees F. It seems to tolerate heat well.
LIGHT
Full sun / partial shade in hotter zones
SALT
Moderate Salt Spray Tolerance – it will tolerate some spray, but it is best to have more protection such as a fence or building as an additional barrier behind the first row of plantings or the first dunes.
SOIL
It will grow on a wide variety of well-drained soils in the pH range of 5.5 to 6.5.
WATERING
It has good drought tolerance once established, so minimal watering is needed for survival in dry spells. As with most plants, though, ample irrigation in droughts keeps it healthier and looking better.
PROPAGATION
Seed; basal and root cuttings taken in the fall; division of the clumps every 3 or 4 years
PRUNING
Deadhead to extend flowering unless seed formation is desired.
FERTILIZING
It has no special fertilizer needs. Unless a soil test suggests otherwise, a slow-release balanced analysis fertilizer applied per the product label will work.
PESTS
Japanese Beetle - University of Florida
Leafminers - University of California
DISEASES
Powdery Mildew - University of California
Botrytis/Gray Mold - Missouri Botanical Gardens
PseudomonasLeaf Spot - University of Illinois
Xanthomonas Leaf Spot - University of Illinois
DEER
Tolerant; rarely bothered
There are very few totally “deer-proof” plants. There are also, relatively speaking, few plants that are considered a preferred food supply of deer. Most plants fall in the big gap between. One of the biggest variables is the available preferred food supply in a given area. If their preferred food is scarce, they will munch on most anything.
OTHER
Good butterfly plant
Good cut flower
Birds love the seeds
USES
Containers, mass planting, borders, mixed planting, butterfly gardens, perennial garden
University of California lists Echinacea spp. (Purple Coneflower) as a safe plant.
California Poison Control lists Echinacea spp. (Coneflower) as non-toxic.
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