• slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide

Growing Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pupurea)

A favorite food source for birds in winter, butterflies, bees and hummingbirds in summer, the native purple coneflower has found its way into home gardens.

Purple daisy like flowers top 3 to 4 feet tall plants for several months from mid to late summer and often into fall. Cut plants back halfway early in the season to encourage more compact growth and to delay flowering.

Hardy in zones 4 to 8, it prefers full to part sun and fertile loamy soil. It is adaptable and can be grown in clay and drier conditions.

Purple coneflower combines nicely with a wide variety of native and non-native plants. Prairie dropseed, switchgrass, little bluestem and other native and ornamental grasses make nice partners. The purple flowers look great with orange blooms of butterfly weed, purple flowers of liatris and Russian sage.

A bit more information: Pruning early in the season can help you add a new dimension to your purple coneflower display. Prune the outermost plants to create shorter stiffer plants that serve as a living support for the taller ones. These also bloom later, extending the floral display.

Upcoming Live Events
& Webinars


April 3, 2024
Garden Trends 

Franklin Public Library, Franklin, WI

April 10, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

Container Gardening Throughout the Year
Register now

April 11, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

7 Steps to Managing Water Where it Falls in Your Yard
Register now

April 17, 2024
Landscaping for Birds: 
A Gardener’s Perspective

Glendale, WI 

April 18, 2024
Be a Waterwise Gardener
Golden Rondelle Theater, Racine, WI
Register now

April 20, 2024
Pruning Hydrangeas and Other Shrubs 
Pasquesi Home & Gardens, Lake Bluff, IL

April 27, 2024
Ridges & Rivers Book Festival
Viroqua, WI

April 28, 2024
Flowering Trees and Shrubs
Ebert's Greenhouse Village, Ixonia, WI

May 1, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

Ornamental Fruits and Vegetables
Register now

May 9, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

How to Plant Your Rain Garden
Register now

WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Learn More

Book an Appearance

Learn More

Enter to Win The Birds & Blooms' Ultimate Gardening Guide !

ENTER NOW