PowWow Wild Berry coneflower

Sun

Full sun is best; tolerates light shade, but flowers less and may lean.

Water

Water regularly during establishment. Once established, water deeply during prolonged dry spells; avoid persistently wet soil.

Soil

Well-drained loam, sandy loam or improved clay, with average fertility. Tolerates a range of soil pH levels; winter drainage is especially important.

Height

1.5-2 ft (0.45-0.6 m)

Spread

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m)

Flowers

Summer into early autumn; rich rose-purple petals surrounding a prominent orange-brown cone.

Foliage

Rough-textured, dark green, oval to lance-shaped leaves; lower leaves have longer stalks. Dies back in winter.

Growth

Moderate; usually forms a useful flowering clump in its first or second growing season.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.2 ft (0.37 m)

3. After 2 years

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

4. After 3 years

   1.7 ft (0.53 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the US

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water at soil level through the first growing season, allowing the surface to dry slightly between waterings.
• Plant with the crown at soil level in a position that does not collect winter water.
• Apply a thin layer of compost in spring; avoid heavy feeding, which encourages soft, floppy growth.
• Keep mulch clear of the crown, particularly in damp climates.
• Divide congested clumps in spring if flowering declines; routine annual division is unnecessary.

Pruning. Remove faded flower heads during summer if you want a tidier display, or leave them for seed-eating birds. Cut dead stems to just above ground level in late winter or early spring before new shoots lengthen.

Early spring

Cut back last year's stems and check emerging shoots for slug damage.

Spring

Plant or divide clumps once the soil is workable; water well after planting.

Late spring

Apply a thin compost mulch, keeping it away from the crown.

Summer

Water new plants during dry weather and remove faded blooms if desired.

Autumn

Leave some seed heads standing for birds and winter structure.

Winter

Keep the crown free of wet leaf litter and check that water drains away.

• Plant repeated groups near the front or middle of a sunny border for a steady rhythm of purple flowers.
• Combine with ornamental grasses and black-eyed Susans for a compact prairie-style planting.
• Pair with blue-flowered salvias and catmint for contrasting flower shapes and a long pollinator season.
• Use in a large container with drainage holes for a sunny patio; water more often than plants in the ground.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, New perennial (prairie), Pollinator garden, Wildlife garden, Midwest prairie and Small-space.

Plant it with: Black-eyed Susan, Catmint, Perennial salvia, Prairie dropseed, Little bluestem and Blazing star.

Wildlife: The open, single flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and other insects. Seed heads feed seed-eating birds, particularly finches where they occur.

• Slugs and snails can eat emerging shoots: inspect young growth and use barriers, hand-picking or an approved iron-phosphate bait as directed.
• Crown or root rot in wet soil: improve drainage, keep mulch off the crown and replace badly rotted plants.
• Aster yellows causes green, distorted flowers and abnormal shoot growth: remove and dispose of affected plants; there is no cure.
• Powdery mildew can coat leaves in crowded plantings: allow airflow, water the soil rather than foliage and remove badly affected debris.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people. Eating plant material may still cause mild stomach upset, and people sensitive to the daisy family may develop an allergic reaction.

• Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida)

  Usually taller, with much narrower, paler pink petals that hang steeply downward and narrower leaves.

• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida)

  Has yellow rather than purple petals and a dark brown to nearly black central cone.

Echinacea comes from the Greek word for hedgehog, referring to the prickly central cone, while purpurea means purple.

Propagation. Divide established clumps in spring to retain the parent plant's characteristics. This is a seed-raised cultivar, but seed collected in the garden may cross with other coneflowers and produce variable offspring; use seed sold under the cultivar name for greater consistency.

Accepted botanical name

Echinacea purpurea

In the US and Canada

Native in the lower 48 states. Introduced in Canada.

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and Michigan.

Measured

Soil pH 6.5 to 7.2. Average height 70 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.