Photo credits and licenses
Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by Jason Swanson / iNaturalist (CC0), Photo by Jason Swanson / iNaturalist (CC0), Photo by Jason Swanson / iNaturalist (CC0) and Photo by Greg Ulreich / iNaturalist (CC0). How photos are sourced →
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Purple Coneflower blooms from July through September.
Everything this page states about the plant was checked against named botanical sources, the bloom months and the water need among them, with what the sources could not settle written down.
Growing Purple Coneflower
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 3 ft tall and 1.6 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Purple Coneflower
Plant Purple Coneflower in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8 range, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from July to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 5 in April.
16 more colors in the Coneflowers family
Same family, similar care - pick the one you are growing.
Good to know about Purple Coneflower
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
A green, tufted, deformed cone has two causes: if only the flower is distorted it is the rosette mite, but whole-plant yellowing means incurable aster yellows. per University of Illinois and Clemson
Deer resistance is disputed
Three extension offices call it deer resistant, but Penn State does not. Read it as deer-tolerant, not deer-proof: hungry deer in high-pressure areas will still sample it. per NC State and Penn State
The end-of-season cut
Deadheading through summer prolongs bloom, but leaving the final cones feeds goldfinches and cutting stems only to 12 to 24 in shelters native bees; delay full cleanup to spring. per NC State and Wisconsin
Avoid wetting the leaves
It is prone to powdery mildew, so water at the base rather than overhead and give plants room for air to move; wet, crowded foliage invites leaf disease. per Clemson
Straight species beats cultivars
For wildlife, the native straight species beats fancy cultivars: sterile or double forms feed pollinators far less, and 'Magnus' drew more Japanese-beetle feeding than the species. per Xerces and Colorado State
Who the flowers feed
Nectar and pollen draw bumble bees, long-horned and leafcutter bees, butterflies and skippers; it feeds monarchs and hosts the Silvery Checkerspot and Wavy-lined Emerald. per NC State and Xerces
What pairs well with Purple Coneflower
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Creeping Phlox
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Sage
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Thyme
Shares full sun and low water; opens in late spring and overlaps into this one's season; both are strong pollinator plants; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Giant Allium
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
English Daisy
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Mock Orange
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 8.2 ft, for the layer behind it.
Sea Thrift
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 8 in, for the front of the border.
Crocus
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 4 in, for the front of the border.
Featured in these guides
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.