Echinacea

( ek - in - NAY - shee - uh )

At-A-Glance Information

This genus of flowering perennials, also called Coneflowers, does best in full sun and needs moderate to regular waterings for best performance. The flowers will attract a bevy of bees and butterflies to your garden. These are hardy plants, with daisy-like slightly fragrant flowers around a raised, dome-shaped center of green foliage. They bloom over a long season in late spring and summer. Coneflower does great on the outskirts of gardens, and is also excellent in pots. Cut blooms are happy additions to fresh flower arrangements, as well.

Echinacea Species and Varietals

The genus Echinacea is a member of the plant family Asteraceae and includes ten species. The genus name is derived from the Greek word 'echinos' (meaning sea urchin or hedgehog). Coneflower grows best in zones A2, A3 and 1-24. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.

Echinacea angustifolia (Narrow-Leaved Purple Coneflower, Blacksamson Echinacea)
This perennial species is native to North America and produces flowers with pink to deep purple rays and green to reddish-brown centers. This species grows slowly and is drought-tolerant. These can make great garden plants, able to be grown in gravel or regular garden soil as long as there is adequate spacing provided.

Echinacea atrorubens (Topeka Purple Coneflower)
This species is native to Kansas, Oklahoma and eastern Texas, where it is found growing in dry soils in prairies and outcroppings. These plants reach 3 feet tall and have hairy stems and foliage. Flowers are purple to pink or white, and bloom in late springtime. Flower centers are orange-red to brown. 
Echinacea hybrids
These Coneflower varieties have a wide color range, and are considered hardy. Selections are outlined below.
'Cheyenne Spirit'
To between 12 and 30 inches tall with various flower colors.
'Daydream'
With golden-yellow flowers on a plant that reaches 12-24 inches tall.
'Ferris Wheel'
With quilled cream to bright lemon petals. To 2 feet tall.
'Firebird'
To between 2 and 3 feet tall with bright orange-red flowers.
'Flame Thrower'
​With golden yellow petals that have reddish-orange bases. To 36 inches.
'Green Envy'
Fragrant, lime-green blooms that take on a pink hue as they mature. The center cone will also fade to purple with age. Gets 2-3 feet tall. 
'Harvest Moon'
Deep gold-yellow petals. To 2-3 feet tall.
'Hot Papaya'
Gold flowers fade to flame-orange on a 3 foot tall plant.
'Intense Orange'
With bright orange blooms on a 18-24 inch tall plant.
'Leilani'
Flowers have golden rays and green-orange centers. To 42 inches tall.
'Mango Meadowbrite'
Gets to 2-3 feet tall and wide, with orange-yellow flowers that have brownish centers. 
'Marmalade'
To 2.5 feet tall with tangerine-orange fragrant blooms.
'Milk Shake'
With white rays and central cream to orange central pompoms. To 3 feet tall.
'Orange Meadowbrite'
('Art's Pride')
Grows to 2-3 feet tall and wide, with reddish-orange flowers. 
'Pixie Meadowbrite'
Grows to 1.5 feet tall and a little wider, with pink petals surrounding a yellowish-brown center.
'Secret Passion'
Fully double fragrant blooms in salmon-pink. To 2-3 feet.
'Solar Flare'
With magenta-red petals and a chocolate center. To 2-3 feet tall.
'Sundown' ('Evan Saul')
A member of the Big Sky Series, grows to 2-3 feet tall and 2 feet wide with reddish-orange flowers.
'Sunrise' 
Part of the Big Sky Series, to 2-3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Butter-yellow blooms.
'Sunset'
Bright orange flowers on a 2-3 foot tall, 2-foot wide plant. Part of the Big Sky Series.
'Tiki Torch'
Bright orange to rose blooms; 2.5 feet tall.
'Tomato Soup'
This variety has bright red flowers on a 2-foot tall plant.

Echinacea laevigata (Smooth Purple Coneflower)
These flowers are native to the East Coast of the United States from New York through Alabama, and are commonly found in open areas or along roadways in disturbed soils. Petals droop down from flower heads, and are commonly pink to purplish. Blooms occur May through July in the plant's native range.

Echinacea pallida (Pale Purple Coneflower)
This species of herbaceous perennial flowers is native to the central United States up to central Canada, and reach up to 2.5 feet tall at maturity. Stems can sometimes be mottled with purple markings and foliage is green. Flowers are light pink-purple with green to reddish centers.

Echinacea paradoxa (Yellow Coneflower, Bush's Purple Coneflower, Ozark Coneflower)
This species of Coneflower is native to southern Missouri, Arkansas (where it is considered a threatened species), and south-central Oklahoma. These flowers reach 3 feet tall and produce yellow, white, or pink flowers with raised brownish-green to black centers. 
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower, Eastern Coneflower, Hedgehog Coneflower, Echinacea)
This variable species forms a 2-foot wide foliage clump that sprouts 3-4 foot tall flower stems topped with showy rose-purple flowers. Center cone is orange-brown and looks a little like a beehive. Large seed heads that follow flowers are bird favorites. Varieties are outlined below.
'Avalanche'
Thriving in dappled shade, this cultivar produces white flowers with green centers. To 12-18 inches tall.
'Balscanery'
With lush, double-flowers in raspberry-red. To 2 feet tall.
'Bravado'
To 3-4 feet tall with pink flowers.
'Butterfly Kisses'
With pink outer petals and raspberry inner ones. To 1-1.5 feet tall.
'Coconut Lime'
Double-flowering variety with large white petals topped with smaller green petals around the center cone. 2-3 feet tall.
'Double Decker' ('Doppelganger')
​2-foot tall variety has a second set of petals that emerge from the top of the cone. 
'Fragrant Angel'
This 2.5 foot tall variety has white flowers that have a sweet scent. 
'Green Jewel'
With light green ray petals and dark green central ones. To 1.5 to 2 feet tall.
'Greenline'
Chartreuse blooms on an 18-24 inch tall plant.
'Kim's Knee-High'
Gets to 2 feet tall, and has pink flowers. 
'Magnus'
3-4 foot tall variety with purple-pink, orange-centered flowers that reach up to 7 inches wide. 
'Pink Poodle'
Double-pink flowers. 
'PowWow Wild Berry'
Grown from seed to 2-3 feet tall. Flowers are pink.
'Primadonna Deep Rose'
Great as a cut flower, with pink blooms. To 1.5-2 feet.
'Razzmatazz'
With light pink double flowers to 24-36 inches tall.
'Rubinstern' ('Ruby Star')
2-3 feet tall with red flowers.
'Sombrero Salsa Red'
Deep reddish-pink flowers on a 1-2 foot tall plant.
'White Lustre'
2.5 feet tall with white flowers with orange-yellow cones.
'White Swan'
White flowers around orange-yellow cones, grows to 1.5-2 feet tall.

Echinacea sanguinea (Sanguine Purple Coneflower)
Native to open sandy fields and wooded areas in eastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, Louisiana, and southwestern Arkansas. Blooms are commonly rose-pink to pale purple in color, and have raised centers that are dark purple-brown. Petals can be very thin and delicate. 

Echinacea simulata (Wavy Leaf Purple Coneflower, Glade Coneflower, Prairie Purple Coneflower)
​These perennials are native to the southeastern United States and reach 3.3 feet tall when in bloom. Flowers are light purple to pink, petals sometimes darkening towards their bases. Stems are green or mottled with purple. Blooms appear in late spring through the middle of summer in this plant's native range.

​Echinacea tennesseensis 'Rocky Top' (Tennessee Coneflower, Tennessee Purple Coneflower)
This species has narrow leaves that form a 2 foot high and just as wide mound of foliage, from which flower stems rise. Blooms are 2-3 inches across and are pink and bend upward. Center cone is greenish black.

Caring for Echinacea

Echinacea flowers are classic members of pollinator, informal, and cottage gardens. They slowly form clumps, so they should be planted in an area of the landscape where this tendency will not become an issue over time. They are hardy perennials, and can be planted in either spring or fall, and grown from seed or purchased as nursery specimens. They are members of many flower and pollinator seed mixes. Choose a space in the garden that receives full sun; they need at least 6 to 8 hours of sun each day to flower and perform well. Echinacea grown in too much shade tends to become leggy and not flower as profusely. These plants prefer soil to be well-draining, fertile, and have a pH of between 6.0 and 7.0. After planting, apply a thick layer of mulch around the bed to suppress weed growth, maintain constant soil temperatures, and to maximize soil retention. As they are becoming established, water regularly. At maturity, these plants are considered very drought-tolerant, able to get by on rainwater alone for most of the year. In times of extended drought, irrigate every few weeks.

Fertilize yearly in early springtime with a application of 2 inches of compost around the base of plants. Pull mulch back before applying, work the compost gently into the soil a bit, water it in, and then replace mulch. These plants are not heavy feeders, and this should be sufficient to provide the necessary nutrients for the active growing and flowering seasons. Late in the season, plants can have a tendency to get leggy, especially if they are grown in too much shade. They can be cut back to the ground in fall after the first hard frost of the year. This will help prevent ongoing disease and prepare the plant for new growth come springtime. As stated before, Echinacea will form clumps of plants over time, and they will need to be divided once every three to four years. For instructions on dividing Echinacea plants, see the Propagation section below.

Propagation

Echinacea can be propagated either by division or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the division method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your Coneflower plant, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Echinacea by Seed
  1. Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows.
  2. Harvest your seeds. The seed heads on plants are pretty easy to spot, they're left behind after flowers have faded. Once they have dried out and begun to split open, you can harvest the seeds inside. Cut them off of the plant, placing them in a paper bag. Harvest as many as you can, and place the paper bag in a dry, cool, dark area. They will continue to split open and release the seeds contained inside. Once they have been released, take them out of the bag and put them in a container so you can work with them.
  3. In either late winter or early springtime, get your container prepared. Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 2-6 weeks from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
  4. Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.

Propagating Echinacea by Division
This type of propagation is relatively simple; you will need a clean shovel, mulch, fresh soil (any kind will do, though it does need to be well-draining), compost and pots (12 inch pots will do, and these are only necessary if you will be saving divided plants for transporting elsewhere). Division is best done in very early spring (after the plant has entered dormancy, but before it has begun its new spring growth), and needs to be done every few years regardless of whether you have the goal of propagating the plants for best performance. To propagate by division, follow these steps:
  1. Using a shovel, dig up your existing plant. Start from the outside and work your way in to avoid damaging the root(s). Once you have worked it up out of the ground, lay it out.
  2. Start to tease apart the roots with your gloved fingers. Once the roots are untangled, separate your plant into segments, ensuring that each one has at least one thick root section attached.
  3. Prepare your pot(s) or new planting site(s) with amended, well-draining soil. You can either bring in new soil or simply amend your existing soil with compost to complete this task. Then, plant your divisions and water thoroughly.
  4. Apply a thick layer of mulch over the new planting to protect it from cold weather as it acclimates to its new home. Then, enjoy watching it sprout in the next growing season.
Echinacea flowers fade to reveal their seed heads.
Echinacea seeds are typically light brown to tan in color.

Problems and Pests

Echinacea plants can have issues with the following pests and diseases in the garden:
  • Stem Rot
  • Powdery Mildew
  • Aster Yellows
  • Leaf Spot
  • Root Rot
  • Aphids
  • Spider Mites
  • Japanese Beetles
For more information on these pests and diseases, including how to treat and prevent them, consult the following pages:
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Gallery

Echinacea is grown in a mixed bed alongside Daylily.
These flowers are perfect for pollinator, informal, or cottage gardens.
Pollinators love Echinacea flowers.
Coneflowers are popular in mixed beds.
Prairie gardens are natural settings for Coneflowers.
Double-flowering coneflowers are popular bedding plants.

Videos

Why you should grow these classic flowers in your garden.
How to care for Echinacea.
A spotlight on the Coneflower.
How to deadhead these flowers.
How to divide Echinacea plants.
How to grow Coneflower from seed.

Resources

How to Grow and Care for Purple Coneflower
Comprehensive Care Guide for Growing Echinacea
How to Grow Coneflowers: The Complete Echinacea Flower Guide
Growing Coneflower: How to Grow & Care for Echinacea
Echinacea (Coneflower): How to Grow and Care with Success
Wikipedia: Echinacea
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 296, Echinacea
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or photos you’d like to add to the gallery, please let me know by sending me a message using the button below!
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