Echinacea
Common Name: Coneflower
Overview
| Plant Type | Perennial |
| Hardiness Zone | 3 |
Cultivars
|
Cultivar |
Height |
Spread |
Blooms |
Sun |
Planted |
| Delicious Candy Echinacea 
| 12-24" | 12-24" | Summer | Full Sun | (none yet) |
| Hot Papaya Echinacea 
| 24-36" | 24-36" | Mid to late season | Full Sun | House garden beds |
| PowWow 'Wild Berry' Echinacea purpurea 
| 12-14" | 10-12" | Mid to late season | Full Sun | House garden beds Bee pollination garden |
| Sombrero Adobe Orange Echinacea 
| 12-24" | 12-24" | Mid to late season | Full Sun | House garden beds Bee pollination garden |
| Summersong FireFinch Echinacea 
| 12-16" | 16-18" | Mid to late season | Full Sun | House garden beds |
| White Swan Echinacea purpurea 
| 24-36" | 12-24" | Mid to late season | Full Sun | (none yet) |
Attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
Ongoing Management
Insect & Disease Control
Treat any aphids on the plant with insecticidal soap.
If eriophyid mites have deformed the cone, remove the seed head & dispose of it securely.
Fertilization
If needed, add slow release fertilizer in the Spring. Fertilize with low all-purpose fertilizer annually or amend soil with compost to replenish soil.
Watering
Needs well-drained soil.
Drought & heat tolerant.
Pruning / Cutting Back
Remove spent flowers and cut back the stems to encourage further blooms.
End of season options:
- Cut back to the ground in the Fall after 1st hard frost.
- Let stand over winter to feed birds, and then shear back in the Spring. This will result in a bushier plant which will bloom longer into the season.
Propagation
Divide every 2-3 years to maintain health and promote flowering. Dig up the plant & carefully separate the root clump into several smaller pieces.
Propagate by seed, division in Spring or Fall, or by root cuttings from late Fall to early Winter.
- Take 4-6" stem cuttings in late Spring/early Summer.
- Collect seeds when the flower heads have dried and the seed cones are brown and sturdy, typically late Summer to early Fall. This timing allows seeds to mature fully on the plant.
Collecting Seeds
Collect seeds in the Fall, and then sow seeds indoors in the Spring.
These are best harvested by shaking the flower head inside a bag. If removing seeds by rubbing your hand across the flower head, be sure to wear gloves as the flower head is prickly.
More Information
Published Articles
- Eriophyid Mites: What They Are and How to Control Them in the Home Garden, “Fine Gardening” Issue 207, by Matthew Borden
Books and Papers
- An Illustrated guide to plant abnormalities caused by eriophyid mites in North America, by USDA.
- The Well-Tended Perennial Garden (2011), by Tracy DiSabato-Aust (635.932 DIS 2011).
Web Sites
- Dividing Perennials
- Echinacea Trial 2019 - 2022 (Seacrest Arboretum)
- How to Collect Coneflower Seeds: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Gardenia.net - Echinacea Coneflower
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eMail comments to me at GardeningBoK @ Gmail.com. |