Horticulture and Landscape Architecture

Hardy Plants for Waterwise Landscapes

Echinacea purpurea 
Purple coneflower

Echinacea purpurea bordering path (V.I. Lohr)
 

Plant form

Upright, coarse-textured herbaceous perennial; deciduous.

Size

2-4 feet tall, depending on cultivar; spread can equal height.

Flowers

Flowers from mid-summer to fall.

Water use

Low to moderate.

Culture and maintenance

Grows best in rich, well-drained soils; doesn't require much fertilization. Old flower stalks and seedheads may be removed after blooming or left until spring.  Seedheads provide winter interest, but may allow reseeding to occur. Relatively insect- and disease-free.

Light

Full sun to light shade.  Flower color will be richer with some shade.

Hardiness

USDA Zone 4.

Cultivars

We have had success with 'Bright Star.'  There also is a white-flowered cultivar, 'White Swan,' and several orange- and yellow-flowered cultivars.

Other

New growth is slow to emerge in the spring.  Bees and butterflies love this plant!  A good plant choice to include in naturalistic plantings or combined with grasses.
Echinacea flowers (V.I. Lohr) White-flowered Echinacea (V.I. Lohr)
Orange-flowered Echinacea (V.I. Lohr)
 

 

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