Q: Last month I cut off the dead seedheads in a mixed bed of purple coneflower and black-eyed Susan. I want to transplant some of them but I can’t tell the plants apart from their leaves. Can you help?

A: Have you tasted the leaves? No, seriously, have you put the leaves between your lips? You’ll immediately be able to tell the plants apart. Black-eyed Susan leaves are relatively smooth while coneflower leaves are rough and bristly. In fact, coneflower’s scientific name,^ Echinacea purpurea^ means “spiny purple plant”.