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Flowers: The daisy-like flower is actually made up of several small flowers. The
petals are sterile and are there to lure insects toward the many fertile flowers in
the central disk or cone. These flowers are rich in nectar and very popular with
both bees and butterflies.
Flowers were generally some shade of purple or lavender, with a dark center
cone. Much hybridization has been taking place and you can now find petal colors
ranging from white to green through yellow, orange and deep reds.
The common name "coneflower" refers to the way the petals angle backwards,
away from the center, forming a cone.
Foliage: Growth starts with a clump of basalleaves, which eventually send up
flower stems in mid-summer. The leaf shape depends on the variety. Many have
oval leaves with a wide base, but some from dry, western areas often have
narrow leaves.

Botanical Name:
Echinacea spp. and hybrids

Common Name(s):
Conflower

Hardiness Zones:
Most coneflowers will grow well just about anywhere and are labeled USDA
Hardiness Zones 3-9. You may want to give them a little winter protection their first
year, but once established, they are rugged and hardy.

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Mature Size:
Size will vary greatly, depeding on variety and growing conditions. Most will fall
in the broad range of 2 - 4 ft. tall by 16 - 24 in. wide. There are also dwarf
varieties, like 'Kim's Knee-high' which only grows 16-18 in. tall.

Exposure:
To get the most blooms and the sturdiest plants, plant them in a spot that gets
at least 5 hours of full sun a day. They will tolerate partial shade, but plants may
flop or strain to reach the sun.

Bloom Period/Days to Harvest:

Coneflowers start blooming in early to mid summer and repeat bloom though
frost. They may take a break after their initial bloom period, but they will quickly
set more flower buds.

Growing Tips:
Soil: Most coneflowers grown in gardens prefer a neutral soil pH of about 6.5 to
7.0.
Although they thrive best in a soil high in organic matter, too much supplemental
fertilizer can cause them to become leggy. The new hybrids need more TLC than
the species.
Growing from Seed: Coneflower hybrids tend to be sterile, but the species are
relatively easy to grow from seed. If you'd like to save seed, wait until the cone
has fully dried. It will be darker in color and stiff to the touch. The seeds are
attached to the sharp spines. You don't need to separate them, before storing or

planting. You could plant the whole cone, if you like, although you'll want to
divide the many seedlings you'll wind up with. (If you grow multiple varieties and
collect the seed yourself, you may well wind up with some interesting crosses.)
The seeds germinate best with some cold stratification. The easiest route would be
to sow them outdoors in the fall, either in the ground or winter sow in pots. If you
are going tostart seed indoors, simulate the chilling period by soaking the seeds in
water and then placing the slightly damp seed in a sealed container in the
refrigerator for 8 - 10 weeks. Then take them out and plant as you normally
would. They should germinate within 10 - 14 days.
Planting:
If you don't want to start your own seeds, there are plenty of varieties available
for purchase as plants, especially through mail order. Plants can also be divided
or grown from stem cuttings. Coneflowers can be planted in either spring or fall. I
would recommend planting the new cultivars in the spring, to give them time to
become established.
Be sure to allow for good air circulation to prevent fungal diseases.

Maintenance:
Coneflowers are often listed as drought tolerant, but they will do much better
with regular water.
I leave the plants standing through winter, to feed the birds. Shearing them back
in the spring will result in bushier plants that bloom longer into the season.
Deadheading is the primary maintenance required with coneflowers. They are
prolific bloomers and keeping them deadheaded will keep them in bloom all
summer. Luckily each flower remains in bloom for several weeks.
Flowers start blooming from the top of the stem. As the initial flower fades, more
side shoots and buds will form along the stem. Keep the plants deadheaded and
you'll keep getting more flowers.
I've been experimenting with not deadheading the new cultivars and also with
removing all the buds the first year. So far, allowing them to grow and flower and
not cutting them back until new growth appears has yielded the best results.

Pests and Problems:

For the most part, coneflowers have very few problems. I already mentioned
giving them good air circulation, so they aren't bothered by fungal diseases. If
you should see mildew or spots on the leaves, simply cut them back and let
them fill back in.

Aster yellows, a systemic plant disease that causes growth deformities in the
flowers. It can affect hundreds of different flowers, not just those in the aster
family. There is not known cure and it is spread by a leafhopper, so affected
plants should be removed and destroyed as soon as possible, to protect nearby
plants.

Design Tips:
Coneflowers tend to spread rapidly, forming large, wonderful swathes. They
combine especially well with other native prairie type plants such as: ornamental
grasses, yarrow (Achillea), butterfly weed (Asclepias) and Joe Pye
Weed (Eupatorium), but probably the best combination is with Black-eyed
Susans (Rudbeckia). Both tend to bloom throughout the summer,creating an easy
care carpet of blooms.
Since coneflowers are so cold hardy, they are also good choices for containers.
You will probably need to divide them at least annually, or they will start to die
out in their centers.

Suggested Varieties:
Where to start? There are new varieties every year. Some make the cut and
some disappear quickly. The 3 listed here have been popular for quite awhile, but
also take a look at the many new coneflower introductions.The yellow
petaled Echinacea paradoxawas used to develop many of these brightly hued
coneflower hybrids. They don't tend to be as widely adaptable as Echinacea
purpurea, being prone to root rot. Although I find them beautiful, few have
survived the winter in my Zone 5b/6a garden. Newer hybrids are
favoring Echinacea purpurea's fibrous root system and show more promise.
Echenacea purpurea 'Magnus' - Deep purple petals with orange centers. Very
adaptable.

Echenacea purpurea 'White Lustre' - Rich, creamy white petals.

Echenacea tennesseensis. - Narrow, deep mauve petals and greenish pink

centers. Tennessee coneflower has petals that point upwards. It was crossed with
traditional plants to hybridized a flat flower head.