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Growing Coneflowers
How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Coneflowers
How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Coneflowers
Coneflowers, also known as Echinacea, are tough little native flowers that draw butterflies, bees, and birds to the garden! Here’s how to grow this American native—and important tips on plant care, from deadheading to cutting back in June.
Bright upright plants, coneflowers are a North American perennial in the Daisy family (Asteraceae). Specifically, the plant is native to the eastern United States, from Iowa and Ohio south to Louisiana and Georgia. They grow 2 to 4 feet in height with dark green foliage. They are fast growers and self-sow their seed profusely. These midsummer bloomers can flower from midsummer through fall frost!
Their genus name Echinacea comes from the Latin name for hedgehog, echinus, referring to the often prickly lower stem of the plant. Coneflowers have raised cone-like centers (hence, the name) which contain seeds that attract butterflies. Leave the seed heads after bloom and you’ll also attract songbirds!
Trouble-free, coneflowers are drought-tolerant, once established. They can take the heat! As native plants with prickly stems, they are more deer-resistant than most flowering plants.
The most common species available to gardeners is Echinacea purpurea, the purple coneflower. If purple doesn’t pair well with your garden’s color palette, don’t fret: coneflowers can be found in a range of bright or subdued colors.
Coneflowers are at home in a traditional garden or a wildflower meadow; they are striking in masses, especially as a mix of various colors.
Planting
Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site
- Coneflowers prefer well-drained soil and full sun for best bloom. Choose a location where the coneflowers won’t get shaded out nor shade out others.
- They may reach between 2 and 4 feet in height, depending on variety.
- Coneflowers are very tolerant of poor soil conditions, but they perform best in soil that’s rich so mix in organic matter if needed.
- Coneflowers are drought tolerant.
- Loosen the soil in your garden using a garden fork or tiller to 12 to 15 inches deep, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost. (Learn more about preparing soil for planting.)
When to Plant Coneflowers
- More commonly, coneflowers are bought as small plants with blooms already on the way. These should be planted in spring or early summer.
- Coneflowers can be started from seed in spring indoors (about a month before the last spring frost date) or outdoors (when the soil temperature has reached at least 65°F/18°C).
- Note: Coneflowers started from seed may take 2 to 3 years before producing blooms.
- Better yet, don’t cut back coneflower plants and they’ll self-seed successfully!
- If dividing or transplanting coneflowers, do so in the spring or fall.
How to Plant Coneflowers
- Plant coneflowers about 1 to 3 feet apart, depending on the mature size of the variety.
- If you are moving a potted plant into the ground, dig a hole about twice the pot’s diameter and carefully place the plant in the soil. Bury the plant to the top of the root ball, but make sure the root ball is level with the soil surface. Water it thoroughly.
Care
How to Grow Coneflowers
- Put a thin layer of compost around the plants, then a 2–inch layer of mulch to help keep the plants moist and prevent weeds.
- Native coneflowers really do not need fertilizer; as discussed above, just ensure your soil has plenty of organic matter when you plant.
- In late spring, provide supplementary water only if the season is extremely dry or your coneflowers are newly planted.
- Optional: To encourage delayed blooming for fall enjoyment, cut coneflower plants back by 1 foot when plants come into bloom. This will result in later-flowering, more-compact growth because coneflowers can get leggy. Cut some and not others for more staggered bloom heights and times.
- Optional: When flowers are faded/done blooming, deadhead if you wish to prolong the blooming season. But consider leaving late-season flowers on the plants to mature; the seed heads will attract birds and promote self-seeding. Deadheading will prevent self seeding if this is your preference. To deadhead, cut the dead flower back to a leaf where you can see a bud ready to swell.
- Watch for beneficial soldier beetles in August and do not harm them.
- In the fall, a light mulch in colder regions is beneficial.
- Cut back in late winter/early spring when you’re tidying up the garden.
Pests/Diseases
Recommended Varieties
- ‘Robert Bloom’ (Echinacea purpurea), which has prominent, dark orange centers with bright crimson flower petals.
- Tennessee coneflower (Echinacea tennesseensis), which has greenish-pink centers with dark mauve flower petals.
- ‘Finale White’ (Echinacea purpurea), which has creamy-white flower heads with greenish-brown centers.
- ‘Cleopatra’ (Echinacea hybrid), which has soft-yellow petals with golden-green centers.
Wit & Wisdom
- Coneflowers both attract butterflies and are deer resistant, so they’ll keep your garden just how you want it!
- Applying an infusion of echinacea is said to help soothe a sunburn.
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Reader Comments
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When to plant echinacea?
I live in Arkansas. Wasn't sure when to plant them. Thank you for this fabulous information....
planting coneflowers
It’s best to plant Coneflowers (Echinacea) by seed. Seeds can be started outdoors in the spring or summer, up to 2 months before frost. Keep in mind that Echinacea started from seed can take 2 or more years to develop into a sizable plant.
Coneflower seeds
I have read that I could plant coneflower seeds in the fall and they will bloom in the spring. I’m finding differing opinions on this. I have the seeds and I’d love to put them in the ground can you please tell me if I can do this and how?
Coneflower Seeds
Yes, you should plant coneflower seeds in the fall, covering them with approximately ¼-inch of soil. Seedlings will emerge in the spring, though the plants may not bloom in the next season. They may need a summer to get established, then should bloom in the subsequent summer.
Coneflower
It is heading towards the end of July and all of my coneflowers appear to be dead should I cut them back
coneflowers
same question please!
Coneflowers
Please see the Care section, above, for information on deadheading coneflowers.
What's eating all the petals!?
As soon as one of my cone flowers blooms, the petals are gone the next day! What's happening and how can I protect those pretty purple booms? Thanks for your help.
Coneflowers
My coneflowers self-seed regularly and where I had only one, now there are multiple places in the flower bed with lovely blooms that attract butterflies and bees. In fact, I have taken the seed pods and spread the seeds around manually to encourage more plants. Love these flowers as they are hardy, long lasting, and very sturdy.
coneflower
what type of coneflowers do you have? I've been wanting to plant some in my garden but not sure which to plant, do all coneflowers attract bees and butterflies?
Color change from yellow to bright orange?
I’ve had an echinacea passed along from a friend for well over 5 years. It is happy and healthy. It had pale yellow, almost white blooms, and would not have been a new hybrid since who knows how long my friend had it before she gave me a start. This year the blooms start yellow and turn bright orange. Doesn’t sound like a hybrid going back to the old purple, what could be going on?
Planting in September
Can coneflowers still be planted this time of year and all the blooms are gone? My local nursery has coneflowers on sale for 50% off. I live in Columbus, Ohio.
Plant in fall??
Sure, try it! It’s still relatively early in season, and bargain plants can be a good way to increase your stock. Check them over closely; pick the healthiest looking. If for some reason they fail, be ready to accept that outcome.
Echinacea first year
I have a purple coneflower plant that i planted in the spring from seed in a container, however since spring there has yet to be any flowers just leaves growing and getting bigger. Is this normal? And what can I do to protect it during the winter? I live in Northern Alberta Canada so the winters here get very cold! Are there any tips or precautions I should take since it's the plants first winter?
Winter care
Keep covered with a frost cloth. Dead head the blooms and keep the plant nice an short. Put mulch around the mound of the stem and make sure you keep some kind of slow release fertilizer mixed in.
Echinacia First Year: Winter
Hi,
I live in Iowa. Our winters get a bit chilly -- hanging at -15F (-26C) for periods last winter. I cut the coneflowers to the ground in November. They are covered with snow for months, and they do fine the next year.
coneflowers
I had a pot full and cut the heads off but left the stems in the pot will they grow back or do I need the seeds. Not sure if these have bulbs or rhizomes.
purple coneflowers
This is not just normal as it is the rule. Thee purple coneflower seedlings do not bloom the first summer, the plants die back and go dormant in late summer. This first-year dormancy is important and when plants develop strong roots. Plants flower in summer of the second year, and every year after that.
How to encourage more blooms
How can I do to encourage more blooms than leaves on the Cornflower plant in a container? When pruning the leaves, should I prune the bigger more established leaves or the smaller ones?
Pruning
Try and keep the bigger leaves green. If they are yellowing or turning brown cut them off. In order to coax blooms fertilize and leave in the sun for at least 5 hours a day.
Growth at center of coneflower
My cone flowers have green stalks growing up out of the middle of the bloom. The bloom still has purple pedals, with six or so green stems growing out of the middle of the seed cone, with more blooms. They look very strange.
why deformed flowers?
Well, what ever is the cause, it’s not good. The plant is either infested or infected by leafhoppers and/or eriophid mites. The leafhoppers carry a disease in their saliva that causes the plant to fail in a variety of ways. The mite feeds on coneflower. These bugs lay eggs in the grass and hatch to tunnel up the stems of the flowers. You need to discard the plants and keep the lawn trimmed.
Coneflowers
I live in North Texas. I planted some coneflowers I got at a nursery. During the day, they look wilted but the next morning, they have perked up. I thought they liked heat and sun. Is it because this is their first summer in the ground?
wilting then perking up
This is all a natural response to the heat and sunlight. Continue watering as usual, but not to excess in reaction to the wilting.
Coneflowers
I live in nebraska i have coneflowers in my yard they grow everywhere! Dry soil, wet soil, in the sun in the shade! They grow like weeds and tend to crowd out everything around them!! The only thing controlling them are the rabbits that chew some of them to the ground in the spring!
Coneflowers
I am 80 years of age and I have had many years of interest in the flowers. I did a water colour painting of an American “Lady tending coneflowers” copying from a photo sent to me by a lady in SAN ANTONIO. I still have the painting but no connection with anyone in America but it still hangs in our lounge. John Grice
Come flowers
Hi John,
I read your comment regarding your painting of a Lady tending cone flowers. I would be interested in seeing a photo of your painting. I love paintings that combine flowers and water. You said that you have no connection with anyone in the states. Where do you live? I'm from Michigan.
Rose
Coneflower division?
I've read that coneflowers should be divided occasionally. I've grown them for many years. All of mine grow from a rosette of leaves . . . they don't look like anything that would tolerate division. Can you elaborate on the process of dividing them?
Dividing Coneflowers
Coneflowers should be divided every four or five years, provided that they are healthy enough to tolerate division, and that they are indeed in need of it. To divide a coneflower plant, gently lift the plant out of the ground with a shovel and remove any excess dirt. Untangle any intertwined roots, and depending on the size of the plant and how overgrown it is, you may be able to pull it apart at the base with your hands, or you may need to use a knife or pruning shears to cut apart the base. Leave several stems (rosettes) on each division and lightly trim back the longer roots if they seem excessive. That’s really all there is to it! Dividing can be done in the spring or early fall.
Purple Coneflowers
I needed to move some coneflowers this spring. My soil is clay so I dug them up in pieces. I was not gentle. I planted them in a new bed. Aside from them needing some extra water until they established ( about 3 weeks) they have ALL flourished. Six weeks later they are all growing and flowering. I originally had two plants and now I have six. I would say you could divide them easily with just a shovel and plant them again. It’s a free way to get more plants.
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