Echinacea purpurea
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Tried and True Recommended by 9 Professionals
Species Native to Missouri
Common Name: purple coneflower
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Zone: 3 to 8
Native Range: Eastern United States
Garden Location: Christopher Biraben Butterfly Meadow, Birch Mahaffey Carpenter Butterfly Pavilion, Kemper Low Maintenance Garden, Suzanne Stagg Wright Rock Garden
Height: 2 to 5 feet
Spread: 1.5 to 2 feet
Bloom Time: June to August
Bloom Color: Pink, Purple
Bloom Description: Purplish pink
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Flowers: Showy Flowers
Wildlife: Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies
Tolerates: Clay Soil, Dry Soil, Shallow, Rocky Soil, Drought, Deer
Uses: Cut Flower, Will Naturalize

Culture

Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Best in full sun. An adaptable plant that is tolerant of drought, heat, humidity and poor soil. Divide clumps when they become overcrowded (about every 4 years). Plants usually rebloom without deadheading, however prompt removal of spent flowers improves general appearance. Freely self-seeds if at least some of the seed heads are left in place.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Purple coneflower is a Missouri native plant which occurs in rocky open woods and prairies throughout the State. Large, daisy-like flowers with slightly drooping, rose purple petals (ray flowers) and large, coppery-orange central cones. Long summer bloom period. Best flower display is late June to late July, with sporadic continued bloom into autumn. Flowers grow on rigid stems typically to 3' tall (less frequently to 5'). Dark green leaves (4-8" long) are lance-shaped and coarsely-toothed. Good fresh cut or dried flower. The dead flower stems will remain erect well into the winter and, if flower heads are not removed, are often visited by goldfinches who perch on or just below the blackened cones to feed on the seeds. Echinacea comes from the Greek word echinos meaning hedgehog in reference to the spiny center cone.

Problems

Japanese beetle and leaf spot are occasional problems.

Garden Uses

Excellent, long-blooming flower for massing in the border, meadow, native plant garden, naturalized area, wildflower garden or part shade area of woodland garden. Often massed with black-eyed Susans (rudbeckias).

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