How to Plant and Grow Coneflower

Both people and pollinators love these pretty North American native perennials, which have seen a resurgence in popularity. Echinacea purpurea, the purple coneflower, is the most commonly found Echinacea species. The big blooms are made up of a brownish-orange central cone and a ring of long, slender petals with a pinkish-purple hue radiating out from it. There are many more species and cultivars in different colors to choose from. There’s a coneflower for every garden, including bright single flowers and double blossoms, and colors from orange and yellow to red and deep pink. Coneflowers bloom from summer to fall and they shine in a variety of garden settings.

Where to Plant Coneflower

What coneflower needs the most is sun so pick a location where it gets plenty. In terms of soil, coneflower is undemanding as long as there is good drainage, and the pH is in the neutral range.

The landscaping options for planting coneflower are almost limitless. You can plant a single color in groups or mix different colors. Or you can interplant it with ornamental grasses or other perennials between the groups of different colors of coneflowers. Just keep in mind that whatever you plant should not be so tall as to deprive the coneflowers of sunlight.

How and When to Plant Coneflower

Plant coneflower in the spring or early fall. To plant a coneflower that you purchased from a nursery, dig a hole about twice the diameter of the pot and about the same depth. Place the plant in the hole and fill in the original soil to the top of the root ball. Gently tamp down the soil and water it well. Keep it watered for at least one week, until the plant is established.

Space plants 1 to 3 feet apart, depending on the mature size of the variety.

Coneflower Care Tips

Light

Coneflowers won’t tolerate anything less than full sun. If planted in too much shade, they tend to get leggy and flop. Plus, plants are more susceptible to foliar diseases, such as powdery mildew, when planted in the shade.

Soil and Water

Coneflowers are unfussy about soil texture; they can grow in sandy, rocky, and clay soil with a neutral pH (6.5 to 7.0). Good drainage, however, is key, they don’t like wet feet. Because purple coneflower is native to grass prairies, it prefers well-drained soil. Established plants tolerate drought well although they will bloom better if you water them regularly during dry spells.

Temperature and Humidity

Coneflowers are adapted to a wide climate range, from subzero winters down to zone 3 to hot summers up to zone 9. Hot, dry summers are not a problem. High humidity, on the other hand, is not ideal.

Fertilizer

If the coneflowers are grown in soil that has been amended with organic matter, the plant should not require any fertilization other than sprinkling a couple of handfuls of compost around each plant in the spring. Excessive fertilization can lead to leggy plants.

Pruning

Once plants have finished blooming, remove spent blooms to help encourage a second round of blooms.

As fall sets in, leave the stalks and seed heads on the plant, not just for winter interest—the seeds provide food for many small birds. Goldfinches especially seem fond of sitting atop spent blossoms and picking away at the tasty seeds.

Potting and Repotting Coneflower

Coneflowers make good container plants, either on their own or in a planter with shorter filler plants. Select a tall 1-gallon container to fit the taproot of the coneflower and make sure it has large drainage holes. Fill it with a combination of well-draining potting mix and compost. Keep in mind that container plants require more frequent watering and fertilization than plants in the landscape.

Although coneflowers are winter-hardy in cold climates, growing in containers exposes their roots to the cold. To winterize the pots, insulate them by sinking the container in the ground or by placing it in a second, larger pot to create a planting silo.

Repot the coneflower to a larger pot with fresh potting mix when the root system has reached the sides of the container, or the roots grow out of the drainages holes.

Pests and Problems

Especially towards the end of the summer, or in humid weather, coneflowers are prone to get powdery mildew, which is unsightly but won’t kill the plant. A serious disease that affects coneflower and other plants in the aster family is aster yellows, a plant virus carried by thrips. These pesky little bugs feed on pollen, as well as plant juices, by scraping the plant tissue and drinking the sap. As these bugs fly around and feed, they transmit the virus from plant to plant. Symptoms will be visible on new buds and open flowers that will show erratic, contorted growth. If you see this on your plant, there is no cure except to dig up the plant and properly dispose of it before the disease is transmitted to any other plants.

How to Propagate Coneflower

If left on the plant, coneflowers may reseed themselves around your garden. But remember that seedlings from hybrids and cultivars won’t have the same traits as the parents.

To start a specific coneflower variety from seed, either collect seeds from a species (not a cutivar or hybrid), or purchase seeds from a nursery. Coneflower seeds do not require stratification. To get a head start on the growing season, you can start the seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost date in your area. Fill small pots or flats with soilless potting mix and place 3 to 4 seeds in each pot. Lightly cover the seeds with 1/8 inch of soil. Germination occurs in about 4 weeks. Keep the soil evenly moist. Once the seedlings emerge, place them under grow lights or in a south-facing window.

Harden the seedlings off before planting them outdoors. To start coneflowers from seed outdoors, wait until all danger of frost has passed.

Note that coneflowers usually don’t bloom the first year after starting them from seed.

Types of Coneflower

Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea, the most popular species, offers mauve-purple flowers all summer on a 5-foot-tall, 2-foot-wide plant. Zones 3-9

'Bravado' Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea 'Bravado' is a robust cultivar that grows to 4 feet tall. It bears loads of 4- to 5-inch-wide blooms that range in color from light pink to magenta rose. Petals stand out for maximum display. Zones 3-9

'Cheyenne Spirit' Coneflower

Can't decide on which color coneflower to choose? 'Cheyenne Spirit' is a hybrid mix that offers all the colors on compact plants, they even bloom the first year from seed! Zones 4-9

'Firebird' Coneflower

This Echinacea hybrid has traditional, shuttlecock-shaped blooms in a bold new color of glowing red. Dark-colored cones add to the intensity of the color on nice, compact plants. Zones 4-10

'Fragrant Angel' Coneflower

This Echinacea purpurea cultivar has 5-inch-wide white daisies with an orange center cone. It grows 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Zones 3-9

'Green Envy' Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea 'Green Envy' offers mauve-purple petals tipped in lime green. It grows 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Zones 3-9

Harvest Moon Coneflower

This cross between E. purpurea and E. paradoxa 'Matthew Saul' blooms in bright orangey-yellow with a golden-orange cone. It grows 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Zones 3-9

'Hot Papaya' Coneflower

The 'Hot Papaya' hybrid is a tall plant covered with large, lightly fragrant, bright orange double blooms. Zones 4-9

'Magnus' Purple Coneflower

This popular cultivar of Echinacea purpurea blooms in bright rose with a brownish-red cone and petals that stand out rather than droop. It grows 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Zones 3-9

Mango Meadowbrite Coneflower

Echinacea 'CBG Cone 3' is a hybrid that offers peachy-yellow flowers with a slightly darker orange stem. It grows 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Zones 3-9

Orange Meadowbrite Coneflower

Also sold as 'Art's Pride' coneflower, this Echinacea hybrid blooms in bright orange with dark cones and grows 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Zones 3-9

Pale Purple Coneflower

The species Echinacea pallida is perfectly at home in a naturalized meadow and has pale pink straplike petals and a skyrocket central cone. It grows 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Zones 4-8

'Tiki Torch' Coneflower

This Echinacea hybrid is a remarkable selection with bright orange fragrant flowers in summer and autumn. It grows 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Zones 4-9

Pixie Meadowbrite Coneflower

Echinacea 'CBG Cone 2' is a hybrid with flat, pink, dark-eyed daisies on 18-inch-tall plants. It grows 2 feet tall wide. Zones 3-9

'Razzmatazz' Coneflower

The first double coneflower on the market, 'Razzmatazz' features a cone composed of small purple petals instead of the usually bristled cone. Full sun will do best to help prevent this from flopping. Zones 3-9

Coneflower Companion Plants

Lamb's Ear

Lamb's-ears is a top pick for a groundcover in a hot, baked spot. Its silver-felted foliage quickly forms a dense, delightful mat. It also contrasts nicely with other foliage and most flowers. Depending on the type and your growing conditions, it may self-sow freely to the point of becoming a bother. In hot humid climates, lamb's-ears may "melt down" in summer, becoming brown and limp. A different but related plant, big betony is worth growing for its shade tolerance, dark green crumpled leaves, and bright purple spikes of whorled 1-inch flowers in late spring. Wood betony is similar but not as shade-tolerant.

Globe Thistle

Globe thistle is one of the most elegantly colored plants around. It has fantastical large blue balls of steel blue flowers in midsummer, which would be enough. But making it even more lovely are its large coarse grayish-green leaves, which set off the flower beautifully. If you can bear to separate them from the foliage, globe thistle makes a great cut flower, lasting for weeks in the vase. It also dries well. It's bothered by few pests or diseases. If it likes its conditions, it will reseed fairly readily. If you want to prevent this, deadhead flowers shortly after they fade.

Russian Sage

With its tall wispy wands of lavender or blue flowers and silvery foliage, Russian sage is an important player in summer and fall gardens. It shows off well against most flowers and provides an elegant look to flower borders. The aromatic leaves are oblong and deeply cut along the edges. Foot-long panicles of flowers bloom for many weeks. Excellent drainage and full sun are ideal, although very light shade is tolerated. Plant close to avoid staking because the tall plants tend to flop.

Garden Plans for Coneflower

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