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How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Coneflowers
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Something about that name, aster yellows, is appealing but in fact it is no fun. Aster yellows is a chronic, systemic disease that affects over 300 species in 38 families of broad-leaf, herbaceous plants. There is no cure. Victim and vulnerable plants should be removed and not planted there … again. Plant instead herbaceous plants (e.g., geraniums and impatiens) and woody ornamentals, which are not susceptible to aster yellows.
For the record, members of the aster family (Asteraceae), such as asters, marigolds, Coreopsis, and purple coneflower are commonly affected by this disease.
Vegetable crops such as carrots and potatoes are also susceptible. Aster yellows occurs throughout North America. (With thanks to Wisconsin Master Gardeners)
Just wanted to report that Goldfinches will spend a very long time on flower seed heads. We have Purple coneflowers planted outside our bedroom window at the Chesapeake Bay and in the fall I start my day by checking to see if there are any goldfinches eating outside my bedroom window. Great way to start the day.
My echinacea now in their 3rd year are sprouting with twisted curvy stems. What could cause this? I have them in bright well drained location
We’re stumped. If the leaves are twisted, that’s often a sign of herbicide damage; have any chemicals gotten near these plants or drifted over?
Otherwise, distortion is usually due to Aster yellows but that’s usually later in the season and very noticable because of yellowed petals and leaves. Use an insecticide labeled for use on the aster leafhopper to prevent the disease. Your county cooperative extension can advise you as to the best one to use in your area and the correct timing of the application
Late last summer, I bought two stunning coneflowers and planted them. They did very well throughout the fall. This spring, I was rethinking their location and attempted to dig them up to move them, but found no evidence of the plants even though I dug in the exact spot where they were planted. I have many other coneflowers that survive through our Michigan winters so I was surprised to find nothing. Are some coneflowers not as hardy as others for our zone?
This seems to be an increasingly common problem, with an increasingly hard to find explanation. One reason that some echinacea thrive and others fail to thrive could be that one is native and the other, respectively, is a hybrid. Contact the source from which you got the plant and ask what he/she thinks…and if he/she will replace the plant.
I live in Arkansas. Wasn't sure when to plant them. Thank you for this fabulous information....
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.
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?
Yes, you should plant coneflower seeds in the fall, covering them with approximately 1/4-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.