Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea) is a favorite native plant.  Its large colorful seed head is a magnet for bees, butterflies and other pollinators and its light purple petals provide attractive color to a garden for months.

We get a lot of questions on deadheading or reducing the height of purple coneflowers because they can grow up to 5’ high.  The answer is simple: You don’t have to deadhead, but it can improve the look and shape.  Here is a simple tip on maintaining your coneflower plants.

Steps to Deadhead Your Coneflowers

Step 1:

First find the next coneflower bud that is already developing along the stem. It looks like a bud located where a leaf grows out of the stem.

It will likely look like this:

Step 2:

Using clean shears, cut right above it.

This is how you can keep your coneflowers blooming all summer and control their height!

For winter benefits for birds and pollinators, we recommend that you leave the dead flowers (seed heads) over the winter.

What are other care tips for Purple Coneflower?

Echinacea purpureais a hardy and low-maintenance perennial plant that is relatively easy to cultivate. Here are some tips on how to successfully cultivate this plant:

Site selection: Choose a sunny location with well-draining soil. Purple coneflower prefers strong sunlight but can tolerate less sun and some light shade. Avoid planting in areas with standing water or overly wet soil.

Planting: Plant purple coneflower in the spring or mid to late fall. Dig a hole that is slightly larger than the root ball and place the plant in the hole. Backfill with soil, tamp it down, and water thoroughly.

Watering: Purple coneflower is drought tolerant and does not require much water once established. Water regularly during the first growing season to help the plant establish its roots.

Collecting Seeds: Flower heads provide seeds in late fall and freely self seeds if not dead-headed. Seeds can be collected in the fall after the flowers have faded and the seeds have dried on the plant.

Fertilization: Purple coneflower does not require much or any fertilizer. If you choose to fertilize, do so sparingly with a balanced fertilizer in the early spring.

Division: Purple coneflower can be divided every 3-4 years in the early spring to prevent overcrowding and promote healthy growth.

Pest and disease control: Purple coneflower is generally resistant to pests and diseases but can face occasional problems. Monitor for aphids, spider mites, and powdery mildew, and treat as needed.

Learning more about Purple Coneflower

Are you interested in learning more about Purple Coneflowers? Learn more here .

Looking for more Gardening tips?

Check out these articles:

11 Tips on Starting a Native Plant Garden (for the first year)

6 Common Native Plant Gardening Mistakes and Solutions