In this TN Nursery field video, the host explains why purple coneflower (Echinacea) is a valuable native perennial for gardens. It highlights the plant’s ecological role: providing abundant nectar for bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects during the summer, and later offering seed heads that feed goldfinches and other birds in winter. The plant’s native status means it is well‑adapted to local soils, drought‑tolerant, and low‑maintenance, thriving in full sun and well‑draining soil while returning year after year. The host stresses that even small plantings can help counter pollinator habitat loss. Practical growing tips are given, and the video also shows the nursery’s bare‑root stock, explaining that bare‑root plants arrive without pots or soil, offering a cost‑effective option. The segment ends with a call to visit tannursery.net and subscribe for more pollinator‑friendly gardening content.
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Most gardeners have no idea how valuable this native flower truly is, and the value remains long after the blooms are gone. Today I'm standing in a field at TN Nursery full of beautiful purple coneflower. While most gardeners see a beautiful purple flower, there's a lot more going on than meets the eye. Purple coneflower, AKA echinacea, is one of the most important native flowers that is a perennial that everyone should be growing in their garden. Native to much of the eastern and central United the United States, this plant has been supporting wildlife and pollinators long before our gardens ever existed. And that's one of the biggest reasons native plants are becoming so popular. They are already adapted to local growing conditions, they've evolved alongside local wildlife, and once established, many require far less maintenance than their non-native alternatives. Let's talk about what makes purple coneflower so important. During the growing season, these blooms become a magnet for pollinators. Bees, butterflies, and many other beneficial insects visit the flowers throughout the summer. If you've ever wondered how to make your garden more pollinator-friendly, planting native flowers such as purple echinacea is going to be one of the easiest ways to go. The flowers provide a valuable nectar source during some of the busiest months of the growing season. Here's where things get interesting, but most gardeners think the job is finished after the flowers die off. But in reality, that's when a completely different group of wildlife starts benefiting. Because when the blooms die off, that's when the seed heads are going to be prepared, and that's when a whole different wildlife is going to come in. Instead of cutting those seed heads off in the winter, most gardeners should be leaving them up because that's when birds and goldfinches come in to eat the seed heads. So while many flowers provide a few weeks of color and then disappear, purple coneflower continues supporting wildlife months after its blooms are gone. And that's one of the reasons native plant enthusiasts often consider it as one of the most hardworking plants in the garden. Its benefits don't stop there. It is a perennial, which means it will come back every year from its roots once established, and it will be completely drought tolerant. And depending on your climate, purple coneflower can bloom for not even weeks, but months all the way until your first frost date. And that extended blooming season means they can find food a lot longer than other plants may have survived. And because it's native, it doesn't just look good in the landscape, it serves a purpose. One of those challenges facing pollinators today is habitat loss. As natural areas disappear, these pollinators will struggle to find food when they've had these food sources for generations. Adding native flowers back into our gardens is going to help create even the smallest habitat that can make a real difference to our pollinators. Even a small planting can help support bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects. And if you're walking around this field wondering whether purple coneflower is difficult to grow, the answer is no. It's best planted in full sun, well-draining soil, but it is very adaptable, and that's what makes it beginner-friendly. It provides beauty, supports wildlife, attracts pollinators, survives those challenging conditions, and comes back every single year. That's a lot of value from a single plant. So the next time you see a purple coneflower blooming in a garden, remember that you're looking at much more than just a flower. You're looking at a native plant that supports pollinators during the summer, birds during the winter, and creates a landscape of native flowers. And wildlife depends on them, and that is why purple coneflower acts as one of the most best pollinator plants that are native you should add to your garden. And that is why purple coneflower turns out to be one of the most valuable plants that you can grow.
Here at TN Nursery, this is where we keep a lot of our dormant plants that are bare root. Bare root means that you're not getting shipped any pots or any soil. This is exactly what it will look like when you order it in the mail. That is because you are paying double and triple the price when you're ordering all of the other things when you could be buying buy one get one.
Be sure to visit tannursery.net to check out all of our landscape shrubs and trees that we have to offer. If you enjoy talking about pollinator gardens, local wildlife, and planting native plants in your landscape, be sure to hit the subscribe button, and I'll see you guys in the next video.
