Hmmm let me think. They were about 6-8" tall from top to ground. Approx 1/2- 1/3 of the bottom was the green stalk, the upper portion was the "cone" of the flower. I cant describe the flowers well - but they were lots of small individual flowers or petals that made up the cone. I cant recall what the foliage looked like. Grandma lived in central Pennsylvania, zone 6a/6b. IIRC the flowers came in the spring when we would visit for easter. They were growing along the southern side of her house. The flowers were solitary in the sense that there was just one actual flower cone that was comprised by a bunch of petals. I cant recall if they were perennials - I want to say they are but am not sure. I dont know if they were from bulbs Thanks for the help - it's been 25 years. I would like to grow some in rememberance - Grandma loved those blue flowers, her huge peony and lilac bushes and always grew a bumper crop of zucchini.....thanks again for the help with such a vague description.

Oh dear, Dee. That is a very sad plant indeed. Sometimes I find varmint tunnels in the rootzone of plants that are doing poorly. Have you checked that angle? Could there have been some leftover chemical left there that is infiltrating the roots? Or if moved recently, did you water it in well so it's well entrenched in it's new hole? -- says she who just moved a sad coneflower and didn't water well enough, now it's even sadder : (

Oswegian, the information in that link is incorrect. I'm certain if you contact Ron Smith about it, he will correct it. Or, since you live so far away from me, _I_ have no objection to you keeping those diseased plants to see what they look like next year, but your gardening neighbors might not appreciate it. Deb Brown is a horticulturist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service: Deb Brown, here, on aster yellows on purple coneflower: Ron Smith is a really good horticulturist, but I think he's off on this plant path recommendation. When you see these symptoms, the best course of action is to rogue the plant... pull it out and destroy it. There is nothing that will cure it. Craig Winters, a Master Gardener in West Otter Tail: I have not heard that aster-yellow infected plants will 'outgrow' it. I have not seen this happen. It is a disease with no way to treat. Any infected plants I pull out immediately and throw (NOT compost). I usually get about 4-6 coneflowers a year get infected. But I probably have about 20 new ones from seed each year! Barbara Gasterland, an MG in Hennepin County: If it is aster yellows then the plants will NOT grow out of it. They may not have the same distortion next year if they winter over but it does not go away. You did the right thing by yanking the infected plants. I can sympathize it's tough to do sometimes. If left in the garden the plants will probably be less hardy and not make it through winter. And the longer you leave it in the garden it is just letting the leafhoppers spread it from that plant to another. At least that is my understanding. Ah yes a search sez I hit it right. www.extension.umn.edu/info-u/plants/BG447.html Here's a Info U link on Aster yellows to confirm. Would it be nasty to send it to the Extension in ND? Paula Denman is another MG in Henn. Cty: I've always been told to remove them ASAP. It's herbicides that plants can "outgrow." Unless we've new info yet to be released! It's a little unnerving to see this recommendation in print from an Extension horticulturist. I think you get the idea; I'll spare you the rest of the responses I expect to get over the next few days.

Thanks! Lol, wild would definitely describe this bed. I've seen a ton of butterflies this year, lots of red admirals, swallowtail, painted lady, a giant swallowtail just today as well as monarchs starting about 3 weeks ago, I even have a little monarch caterpillar inside that I saved as an egg. The lady I inherited this bed from must've loved butterflies, hummingbirds, and all pollinators, the whole garden literally buzzes right now. The trick; which I guess I haven't figured out yet, is getting the bed to look a little more organized at the same time.