Echinacea purpurea

The Universality of Coneflowers

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It occurs to me as I peer out over the happy array of coneflowers—Echinacea—in my front yard that the coneflower has become the “little black dress” of the world of ornamental horticulture.  Every woman and a good number of the men of my acquaintance know that “little black dress” is metaphor for something that is … Read more

Rise of the Coneheads

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Last week I participated in an annual ritual of spring that involved a lengthy pilgrimage, followed by acts of homage at impressive shrines in the company of hundreds of other pilgrims. At the end of my journey, I returned home footsore, but spiritually renewed. The scene of this religious devotion was, of course, the Philadelphia … Read more