Also receive the 蜜桃恋人 Daily newsletter including gardening tips, weather, astronomical events, and more.
Planting, Growing, and Caring for Coneflowers
Coneflowers, also known as echinacea, are one of America鈥檚 native wildflowers, beloved by butterflies, bees, and songbirds. Learn more about growing coneflower care鈥攆rom planting to pests to deadheading.
About Perennial Coneflowers
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 mid-summer and continue to flower sporadically until frost.
The genus is named after the Greek word for hedgehog, echinos, because of its cone-like center, which attracts butterflies and bees. Leave the seed heads after bloom, and you鈥檒l also attract songbirds such as goldfinches!
Of course, this plant is good for humans, too, with many medicinal properties; today, it鈥檚 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鈥檛 of much interest to birds, either.
The Purple Coneflower
The purple coneflower (E. 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.
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 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鈥攅specially goldfinch 鈥 will enjoy those seedheads. Plus, coneflowers self-seed prolifically, so where you had only one, you鈥檒l 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鈥檚 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 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 (40潞 to 50潞F) 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 (60潞 to 70潞F) 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
These are native, unless noted 鈥
- 鈥楻obert Bloom鈥 (Echinacea purpurea): red-purple petals; prominent, dark orange centers
- 鈥楩inale White鈥 (E. purpurea): 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 鈥渂lood鈥 refers to streaks in petals; 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
- 鈥楥濒别辞辫补迟谤补鈥 (E. hybrid): soft yellow petals; copper-green centers
Read about our favorite coneflower varieties here!
Catherine Boeckmann
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
I planted a red Echinacea in some cheap potting soil and all of its flowers bloomed white. I went out an bought a purple variety with purple blooms on it and many unopened blossoms. I planted it in the same soil, and in a few days, the new blossoms opened and were also white. The plant had only been in the cheap soil for 2-3 days, and there are now both white and purple flowers on the same plant. What's happening? I'm going to replant them in better soil to see what happens.
It has to do with the pH/acidity levels of the soil. If it is too high or too low will affect flower coloring.
I have had cone flowers for MANY years in multiple gardens in my yard - this year not one of them came back. I live in Michigan and have never deadheaded them - I leave them for the birds to have in the winter. I can't imagine why none would have come back (?) any suggestions ?
Hi,
If you never deadhead them, they probably got overgrown and choked themselves out. I regularly and frequently deadhead mine. In late Fall, I leave the last blooms on for the finches when they show up looking for seeds.
Here in Iowa, our winters can get a bit chilly -- hanging at -15F for periods last winter. I cut the coneflowers to the ground in November. They were covered with snow for months, and they came back with a vengeance this year -- bigger, taller, thicker, and more populous.
Now, I have a lot of thinning to do. It's probably time for that, anyway, since they have been here a few years. Same thing with the daisies.
I had the same problem this year, in northern Vermont. Perhaps the winter was too cold for some coneflowers?
Can I transplant the plants to another area in September or October?
Yes, you can transplant (and/or divide) coneflowers in the fall. When digging them up, try not to disturb their roots too much, as they do not appreciate it.
I planted a beautiful red coneflower in a small circle garden i have in the back yard.my back yard is completely fenced, so no deer. 3 days later, every blossom is gone not a petal on the ground even. Plant is fine just empty stems. A rabbit perhaps? Although we rarely see any. I live in Western WA so no woodchucks. What deters rabbits besides an ugly fence?
I have just merely pulled them up and planted them and they do just fine. I live in Zone 7 in NW Georgia.
What I need to know is do you cut them back in the late fall for the winter, If so how much do you leave of the plant?
