Rough draft 11/6/2021
Intro
These perennials are also used for their medicinal properties and are widely used as herbal remedies. The meaning behind these plants are often associated with strength and healing. Being a perennial means the flowers will regrow and rebloom on their own year after year. Coneflowers may look similar to daisies, but they’re entirely unique.
Plant and Growth
These are great to plant near vegetable gardens for ensuring that nearby plants have plenty of pollinators. The best time to plant coneflowers is in the spring, for best summer results. Once all danger of frost has passed is another rule of thumb. You can also plant in early fall but it’s not encouraged. Just be sure the new plants have at least 6 weeks to establish roots before the first expected frost or they might not come back in the spring.
We tend to see growing coneflowers in the ground as perennial plants, but you can certainly grow them in pots! The containers need to be deep enough for the plant’s taproot (at least 2- or 3-gallon pots is ideal). Ensure there are holes in the bottom of the pot. Put a thin layer of crushed gravel at the bottom of the pot for drainage and then fill as usual. The ideas of drain holes and crushed gravel in pots is a great way to cultivate all plants that need well draining soil to thrive. Can Echinacea Grow Indoors? Echinacea can grow up to four feet tall so they’re not well suited to growing indoors, but if you have a sunroom, balcony, or patio that gets a lot of sun they’d do well there.
Blooms all Summer
Yes, purple coneflowers can bloom all summer. Deadheading is the primary maintenance for coneflowers. They are prolific bloomers, and deadheading will keep them in bloom all summer. Deadheading is when you remove the dead flowers from living plants. Flowers start blooming from the top of the stem, and each flower remains in bloom for several weeks.
Conclusion
What to do with coneflowers at the end of the season? At the end of the season, some gardeners like to leave the seed heads standing. They provide subtle winter interest, and birds, especially finches, eat the seeds. If you leave the seed heads standing, volunteer seedlings will come up in the spring when they start to grow. These unique purple flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees . For all of the people that love coneflowers—and we can’t blame them. These colorful wildflowers light up the landscape with their daisy-like blooms that keep pollinators flying around them all summer long.
Resource links
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c580
https://www.gardengatemagazine.com/articles/flowers-plants/plant-guide/coneflower-growing-guide/