Tips for growing Echinacea in a garden, container or pot
Growing Echinacea is easy for beginner gardeners and with these simple tips you’ll be able to have flourishing Echinacea plants at your place.
As beautiful as they are, Echinacea plants aren’t really suited to growing indoors because they grow too big, but they’re easy to grow in pots and containers in a courtyard, balcony or in a nice, sunny spot in your backyard.
Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) is also known as Purple Coneflower. It’s native to North America and will grow in most areas that get plenty of sunshine throughout the day.
Echinacea are popular perennial plants because they’re easy to grow and they’re heat, drought and frost resistant.
Their beautiful purple flowers bloom for months in summer and they’re great for attracting bees, butterflies and birds to your garden.
HOW TO GROW ECHINACEA (PURPLE CONEFLOWER)
Best Soil for Echinacea
Echinacea will tolerate poor quality, rocky, sandy and clay soil, but it won’t grow well in wet soil or areas that are prone to flooding.
The ideal soil pH for Echinacea is 6.5 to 7.0.
How much sunlight does Echinacea need?
Echinacea prefers to grow in a position that is in full sun or partial shade. At least 4 – 6 hours of sunlight are needed each day.
How long does Echinacea take to mature?
Echinacea plants begin to bloom within 90-120 days.
How high does Echinacea grow?
Echinacea can grow as high as 3 – 4 feet (90 – 120 centimetres)
How much space is needed between plants?
Each plant should have at least 12 – 24 inches (30 – 60 centimetres) space in all directions as they spread out a lot.
Growing Echinacea from Seed
Echinacea is easy to grow from seeds. The best time to plant Echinacea seeds is towards the end of winter.
The seeds can be sown directly into the ground or started indoors and transferred to the garden later.
Coneflower seeds usually germinate in 10 – 20 days.
If you live in an area with a mild winter, cold stratification can help with germination.
The seeds can be soaked in water or combined with damp sand and placed in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Then, take them out and plant as you normally would.
Fertilizer for Echinacea
Echinacea is a low maintenance plant that doesn’t need regular fertilizing.
If your soil is poor quality or the plants aren’t flowering well, they may benefit from a balanced fertilizer.
Watering Echinacea
Echinacea doesn’t require much water, but young plants will need regular watering to help them establish new roots.
Water every day or every second day after planting and then a couple of times per week once they’re established.
A layer of mulch around the plants will help to conserve moisture.
Pruning Echinacea
Regular deadheading can help to extend the flowering period and keep the plants looking tidy.
Dividing & Transplanting Echinacea
Echinacea plants don’t like to be divided or transplanted. Most Coneflower varieties establish taproots, which makes division and transplantation difficult.
Cutting Echinacea back at the end of Flowering
Coneflower plants can be cut back to the ground in late winter after the flowers have gone to seed.
If you’d like the plants to self-sow for the next year, you can leave the plants as they are over the winter. (The seeds may be eaten by birds though!)
How to Reduce Diseases in Coneflowers
To avoid fungal diseases, it’s best to water the base of the plants and avoid overhead watering whenever you can.
Ensuring there’s enough space in between plants so that the air can circulate will also help to prevent fungal diseases.
If you see spots or mildew on the leaves, it’s best to cut them off so that the mildew doesn’t spread.
Companion Planting for Echinacea
Some popular companion plants for Echinacea include Salvia, Catmint, Gentian and Baby’s Breath.
Echinacea’s purple flowers contrast well with yellow, pink or orange flowers.