Echinacea purpurea 'Purity'

Echinacea purpurea ‘Purity’ makes a bold statement without a lot of bold color. There’s nothing boring about this white-flowered selection.

Brilliant-white flowers encircle a green cone that matures to orange. The 4 1/2-inch flowers stand sturdily on durable stems. ‘Purity’ typically grows 18-24 inches tall. A 1-year-old established plant may produce more than 25 flowers.

‘Purity,’ a Terra Nova Nurseries release, is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 4-9.

Production pointers

‘Purity’ grows best in coarse and slightly mineral media with a pH of 5.8-7.3. It’s a moderate feeder. Dry moderately between waterings in the greenhouse. Finish time for a 4-inch container is six to eight weeks. It easily shifts into a 1-gallon without any fussy production needs, said Terrisa Wells, a growing assistant at Sooner Plant Farm in Park Hill, Okla. Sooner Plant Farm grows echinacea in a pine bark/perlite/vermiculite mix.

‘Purity’ grows best in full sun, and the white petals do not suffer from sun burn, Wells said. It’s drought tolerant once established. It flowers all summer and into fall or sometimes until frost.

Dormancy is required for normal growth and flowering. Heat can force dormancy in the plug stage resulting in overwatering.

There are no pests or diseases associated with ‘Purity,’ but echinacea in general are sometimes susceptible to Japanese beetles and leaf spot.

The species has dark-green leaves that are 4-8 inches long. Leaves are lance-shaped and coarsely-toothed.

In the landscape

The species grows well in rock gardens, as a specimen plant, in mass plantings or in mixed containers. It attracts butterflies and birds.

The dead flower stems remain erect well into the winter and, if flower heads are not removed, are often visited by goldfinches to feed on the seeds, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Market ‘Purity’ with other white plants for a monochromatic garden or mixed container. Plant with rudbeckia, salvia and ornamental grasses.

Garden Crossings in Zeeland, Mich., suggests these companion plants: Caryopteris incana ‘Sunshine Blue,’ C. x clandonensis ‘Petit Bleu,’ Arabis caucasica ‘White Sequins,’ E. purpurea ‘Pink Double Delight’ and Baptisia ‘Twilite Prairieblues.’

For more: Terra Nova Nurseries, (800) 215-9450, www.terranovanurseries.com. Sooner Plant Farm, (918) 453-0771; www.soonerplantfarm.com. Garden Crossings, (616) 875-6355; www.gardencrossings.com.

Specifics

Name: Echinacea purpurea ‘Purity.’

Common name: Coneflower ‘Purity.’

Description: Pristine white flowers with bright-orange cones. It has an upright habit and is well-branched. ‘Purity’ can grow 24 inches tall. Flowers are 4 1/2 inches in diameter.

Hardiness: USDA Hardiness Zone 4-9.

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Landscape uses: Specimen plant, mass plantings, rock gardens, combination planters and cut flowers.

- Kelli Rodda