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Botanical name: Echinacea purpurea
This elegant echinacea produces large purple flowers with coppery centers; a perfect choice for planting in groups, along border edges, or in containers; great for flower arrangements, attracts pollinators.
Other names: Eastern Purple Coneflower
| Hardiness zone | 3a |
|---|---|
| Flower color | purple |
| Foliage type | deciduous * |
| Plant form | upright spreading |
| Mature height | 24 inches (3 feet with the flowers) |
| Spread | 24 inches |
| Light requirements | full sun |
| Moisture requirements | dry to moist |
| Plant origin | Texas Native |
* deciduous = loses leaves in winter
Purple Coneflower has masses of beautiful lightly-scented purple daisy flowers with coppery-bronze eyes at the ends of the stems from mid summer to early fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.
Purple Coneflower is an herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.
This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting birds and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Purple Coneflower is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Mass Planting, General Garden Use, Container Planting
Purple Coneflower will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.
This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under typical garden conditions. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is native to parts of our region. It can be propagated by division.
Purple Coneflower is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
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