How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Coneflowers
Coneflowers, also known as echinacea, are tough perennials in the daisy family (Asteraceae) native to the United States that bloom in midsummer. Deer-resistant, coneflowers are beloved by butterflies, bees, and songbirds. Learn how to plant coneflowers properly, how to deadhead coneflowers, and get more growing tips.
About Perennial Coneflowers
Coneflowers are one of the great American wildflowers, native to the eastern and central United States, extending from Colorado south to Texas and north to the Great Lakes! They bloom from midsummer all the way through fall frost.
The name âconeflowerâ comes from the flower’s raised cone-like center which attracts butterflies and bees. Leave the seed heads after bloom and you’ll also attract songbirds such as goldfinches! Â
Of course, this plant is good for us humans, too, with many medicinal properties; today, it’s especially popular as an herbal tea to strengthen the immune system.Â
Do Coneflowers Spread?
This is not an aggressive plant, but it will naturally self-seed and spread, which you can encourage if you wait to cut back until late winter (or prohibit self-seeding if you deadhead the flowers right after they fade). Hybrids will not self-sow; most are sterile (they do not produce viable seeds). Hybrids aren’t of much interest to birds, either.
The Purple Coneflower
The purple coneflower (E. purpurea) is the most common and readily available. As indicated by its name, this purple coneflower has long light purple rays that droop down its center cone. But also up to nine naturally occurring echinacea can be found in purple shades or yellow (E. paradoxa).
Coneflowers are striking when planted in masses, especially as a mix of various colors. They are trouble-free once established in a traditional garden or wildflower meadow. They are commonly seen in perennial flower gardens.
Read Next
- Coneflowers are drought tolerant, but new plants need water occasionally, and more often if the spring season is especially dry.Â
- Native in ground coneflowers seldom need fertilizer.
- To delay blooming for fall enjoyment (and compact growth), cut back stems 1 foot when plants come into bloom. For staggered bloom heights and times, cut only a few stems.
- Beneficial, wasplike soldier beetles may appear in August. They feed on insect eggs and larvae and pollinate plants. Do not harm them. Learn more about insects that help out around the garden.
- In late fall, lightly spread mulch in colder regions.
- Cut the stems back to soil level when they wither or after frost.
- Divide or transplant coneflowers in spring or fall.
Deadheading Coneflowers
Should you deadhead coneflowers? There are pros and cons. Deadheading right after a flower fades prolongs bloomingâand prevents reseeding. However, if you can wait until late winter, your birds will enjoy those seedheadsâespecially goldfinch. Plus, coneflowers self-seed prolifically so where you had only one, you’ll will have multiple places in the garden with lovely blooms that attract butterflies and bees.
How to deadhead coneflowers? After the flowers fade, cut back stems to a leaf near a new flower bud or a set of leaves. Use sharp, sterilized shears as coneflowers are too thick to simply snap back the spent flower head with your fingers.
Growing Coneflowers in Pots
We tend to grow coneflowers in the ground as perennial plants, but you can certainly grow them in pots if the containers are deep enough for the plant’s taproot.Â
- Use 2- or 3-gallon (or larger) pots, with drainage holes. Spread crushed gravel in the bottom of the pots for drainage.
- Fill the pot halfway with potting mix. Tamp down. Plant the root ball an inch below the rim of the container, spreading out the roots. Add soil slowly until it is even with the top of the root ball, tamping down lightly. Water deeply.
- Keep pots in partial shade for 2 to 3 days, then place in full morning sun and partial afternoon shade.
- Always water deeply at soil level with the soil is dry to the touch. Water on leaves can cause fungal disease.
- Fertilizer every couple of seeks with a water-soluble 10-10-10 product.
- Deadhead just below the base of the flower for continued bloom.
- To overwinter, prune plants to soil level when plant growth slows in fall.
- Move to a cool (40Âș to 50ÂșF) area, with low to moderate indirect light.
- Check the soil every couple of weeks and water lightly when the top 3 inches are dry.Â
- When new.growth appears in spring, move to a brighter, warmer (60Âș to 70ÂșF) area. Moving the plant helps to prepare it for living outdoors in the spring and summer.Â
- Do not water leaves from above, as this can encourage fungal disease on leaves. Instead, water at soil level. Use an insecticidal soap or neem oil solution spray if you see any aphids or pests.
- Every 3 to 4 years, in spring after new growth has started, divide and repot echinacea plants.
These are native, unless noted …
- âRobert Bloomâ (Echinacea purpurea): red-purple petals;Â prominent, dark orange centersÂ
- âFinale Whiteâ (E. purpurea):Â creamy-white petals; greenish-brown centers
- Narrow-leaf coneflower (E. augustifolia): similar to E. purpurea
- Pale purple coneflower (E. pallida); native to Ontario
- Sanguine purple coneflower (E. sanguinea): red-purple petals with streaks (sanguinea, Latin for âbloodâ refers to streaks in petals;Â native to southern states
- Smooth purple coneflower (E. laevigata): narrow, drooping, pale-pink petals; endangered
- Tennessee coneflower (E. tennesseensis): upturned mauve petals; greenish-pink centers
- Topeka purple coneflower (E. atrorubens): deep pink short petals; rare
- Wavy leaf coneflower (E. simulata): yellow pollen distinguishes it from E. pallida (white pollen)
- Yellow coneflower (E. paradoxa), aka Ozark coneflower: yellow petals
- âCleopatraâ (E. hybrid): soft yellow petals; copper-green centers
Read about our favorite coneflower varieties here!
ADVERTISEMENT
I have purchased Cheyenne Spirit Coneflowers from QVC 3 times.Mine are covered with flowers. On 1 plant alone I can count 17 beautiful orange flowers. I donât ever have issues with mine. I am saving my seeds to plant in my pasture.Mine are Purple,yellow,red and salmon. I wish I could send pictures of them.On QVC I order from Cottage Farms they guarantee their flowers for a year.
Thanks for sharing!
I planted some Cherokee Spirit Coneflowers in May. They looked great, but shortly after rabbits ate most of the leaves. One is down to nubs. They don't seem to be growing any new stalks or very many leaves. Will they recover, or do I just need to replant?
A garden cat is amazing.
The coneflower will come back I make a cages out of that chicken wire itâs green little squares I form a circle once they get so big and hey donât bother them anymore
rabbits and coneflowers as soon as the new growth starts with those fresh wonderful greens here comes the bunnys, I put buckets with the bottoms cut out of the buckets and put them over the baby coneflowers until they get a big bigger
The rabbits decimated most of my coneflowers last year.
I'm stumped. Over the course of two years I planted 7 or 8 various echinacea. They came up, flourished and even self seeded for a year or two and then, for no apparent reason, two years ago not a single plant came up. A few of these were pretty healthy, large specimens. The care they received was always consistent and I never use herbicides or insecticides near them. Have UFO's invaded my garden and carried them away?
I'm not sure if UFOs had anything to do with it, but from the research I've done on herbicides, some are water soluble. This means that they can evaporate with water, be collected in rain water clouds, and then be dispersed throughout an area. If you have neighbors using herbicides, it's quite possible this happened. It's a really big and unspoken problem, especially since these chemicals can poison ground water and local ponds and lakes. Just some fruit for thought. I'd suggest should and water testing in the area. Truth is, if it's affecting the soil, it's probably affecting you too.
I have a 30 x 60 greenhouse. I purchased a tray of echinacea plugs from a reputable company, and they were beautiful. I potted them each into 4 " pots of sterile potting mix. I also added just a very small sprinkle of timed release fertilizer.. They sseemed fine for 2 weeks. I did fertilize my entire greenhouse with miracle grow liqua fertilizer with an injector a week ago. It is very warm in the ghse when the sun is shining. Today I notice that the leaves on the plants are turning brown and crisping. The centers of the plants look fine. Too wet? too dry? Too hot? to much Fertilizer? Or too much salt in my well water? Nothing else in the ghse is affected like they are..
Comments