purple coneflower: a garden staple
- Garden-Green
- Jul 26
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 29
Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, is one of the most recognizable native plant species. The striking pink-purple flowers against orangey-brown centers brighten up the garden for most of the summer season (usually June through August or September). Echinacea is the New Latin botanical genus name from the Greek word echînos, meaning “sea urchin” (or “hedgehog”), which describes the prickly appearance of the seed head.
Not only does Purple Coneflower look good, but the flowers attract beneficial native bees as well as butterflies and moths. It’s also one of the host plants for Silvery Checkerspot butterfly caterpillars that overwinter at the base of the plant, so let the leaves lie on the ground through the winter.
Leave the seed heads as well to attract goldfinches, which add a stunning flash of yellow to the garden when they gather to feast on the seeds in the fall. The upright seed heads also add an attractive architectural element to the garden in winter, making Purple Coneflower a four-season garden feature.
Purple Coneflowers sold in garden centers are often cultivars/hybrids—avoid these because they may be sterile (no seeds for the goldfinches and other birds), have complex petal structures (pollinators can’t access the nectar), or have reduced nectar and nutrition. This is a plant that needs no modification—they are, without a doubt, most beautiful when grown from seed.
Because Purple Coneflowers are easily grown from seed, they don’t require a long stratification period and can be started in the spring. Or collect seeds in the fall, scatter, and lightly cover with soil. When situated in the right spot, the plants will happily thrive and spread on their own. They provide a lovely focal point in the garden when used in borders and beds in groups of five to seven.
Purple Coneflowers have less drought tolerance and more shade tolerance than other Echinacea species, although they’ll have a much looser habit in the shade. They do best in full to part sun and rich, well-drained soil. Provide water in drought, especially for plants grown in full sun.
Plant Purple Coneflowers—the ultimate garden staple—and enjoy gorgeous long-blooming flowers and the native birds and pollinators they’ll attract.
Sources
Adelman, Charlotte. The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants. Ohio University Press: Athens, Ohio. 2011.
Cullina, William. The New England Wild Flower Society Guide to Growing and Propagating Wildflowers of the United States and Canada. Houghton Mifflin Company: New York. 2000.
Indigenous Landscapes (Solomon Gamboa and Austin Miller). Native Meadowscaping. Designing, Installing, and Maintaining Native Meadows. © Indigenous Landscapes LLC. All rights reserved. lovenativeplants.com
Jones, Samuel B. Jr and Leonard E. Foote. Gardening with Native Wild Flowers. Timber Press: Portland, Oregon. 1999.
Ladd, Doug. Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers. A Falcon Field Guide. The Nature Conservancy and Falcon Press Publishing Co., Inc.: Helena and Billings, Montana. 1995.
Leopold, Donald J. Native Plants of the Northeast. A Guide for Gardening & Conservation. Timber Press: Portland, Oregon. 2016.
Phillips, Harry R. Growing and Propagating Wild Flowers. An Easy-To-Use Guide for all Gardeners. The University of North Carolina Press: Chapel Hill, NC. 1985.
The Xerces Society. 100 Plants to Feed the Bees: Provide a Healthy Habitat to Help Pollinators Thrive. Storey Publishing: North Adams, MA. 2016.
www.prairiemoon.com/echinacea-purpurea-purple-coneflower
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