Why choose native plants? Pacific Northwest native plants know how to live here and how to thrive here. They often need much less water and less fertilizer. They spread slowly and are not invasive. They support a wide diversity of wildlife. And best of all, they look great!
One of the more striking and interesting native wildflowers of the West, this tall, unusual looking plant has no ray flowers, but produces a large, prominent brown cone of disk flowers with a ring of green bracts below. This fascinating visual configuration gave rise to the alternate common name for this plant: ‘green wizard’, as it looks like an otherworldly magician’s scepter. Western coneflower is a taller plant, sometimes reaching more than 4 to 5 feet in height, and is very long-lived, producing a thick rhizome. It typically occurs in mid to high elevation meadows with damp soils, but it grows as a fine garden plant even at sea level. Watch for numerous metallic green Agapostemon sweat bees on western coneflower, as well as the occasional bumble bee, and much more! This is an excellent cut flower with a long vase life – and it adds a totally distinct and interesting visual element to wildflower arrangements. Photo courtesy of Northwest Meadowscapes.
