Looking for a flower that’s tough, pretty, and pollinator-friendly? Coneflowers (aka Echinacea) are native wildflowers that bring color, charm, and goldfinches to your garden, with barely any fuss.
Let’s get growing! Learn more about growing coneflower and coneflower care—from planting to pests to deadheading.
Echinacea are tough perennials in the daisy family (Asteraceae) and hardy in Zones 3 to 9. They are native to the eastern and central United States, blooming in midsummer and continuing to flower sporadically until frost.
Of course, this plant is good for humans, too, with many medicinal properties; today, it’s especially popular as an herbal tea to strengthen the immune system.
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.
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.
Growing
- Coneflowers are drought tolerant, but new plants need water occasionally—and more often if the spring season is especially dry.
- 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 they 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 blooming and prevents reseeding. However, if you can wait until late winter, your birds—especially goldfinches—will enjoy those seedheads. Plus, coneflowers self-seed prolifically, so where you had only one, you’ll 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 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.
- 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 the 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 the soil level, and when the soil is dry to the touch. Water on leaves can cause fungal disease.
- Fertilize every couple of weeks 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 (40º to 50ºF) area, with low to moderate indirect light.
- Check the soil every couple of weeks and water lightly when the top 3 inches are dry.
- When new growth appears in spring, move to a brighter, warmer (60º to 70ºF) area. Moving the plant helps to prepare it for living outdoors in the spring and summer.
- Do not water leaves from above, as this can encourage fungal disease on leaves. Instead, water at the 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.
Types
The purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is the most common and readily available. The flowers measure 2 to 4 inches in diameter and have a mounded, brown, central cone of disk flowers surrounded by long, light purple rays that droop down the center cone. Up to nine naturally occurring echinacea can also be found in purple shades or yellow (E. paradoxa). They have dark green lower leaves 4 to 8 inches long.
Read about our favorite coneflower varieties here!
Comments
While summer is not the ideal time to move plants, it can be done. Soak them really well before digging them, prep the area into which they will be going, dig as wide as possible around the base so as to limit feeder root damage, plant them right away, water again, and mulch. Then monitor them. You will probably need to water more than you normally would. They will likely droop a bit while they get reestablished, but with a little care, they should be fine.
It's true that happy coneflowers can grow with vigor and possibly shade out less vigorous plants. The ticket to keeping both species is to be sure to divide your coneflowers every other season, and save and disperse the seeds of your poppies. By editing the coneflower and aiding seed dispersal of the poppies, you will help to give them a chance (and room) to propagate.
Yes, groundhogs love coneflowers. I'm afraid trapping or disrupting their tunnel system is the only solution. If the groundhog just ate part of the plant, it may produce more buds, but the groundhog may also return. Using pots is always a solution next time or you need to use fencing.
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It is difficult to diagnose a problem after just a few days. They may be suffering from transplant shock, though that typically results in drooping, not browning. All things being equal (same plant species, soil conditions, light exposure, watering regime, etc.) it could be that two of the five just weren't destined to make it. That does happen. Maybe they had different treatment at the nursery.