Purple coneflower
Also called Coneflower, Echinacea.
| Light | full sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 7 days in the growing season, every 30 in winter |
| Pets | Cats not known, dogs not known |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, no entry for Echinacea purpurea.
Coneflowers come from the North American prairie, where the soil is deep, the sun is unbroken and the winter is cold and dry. Reproduce that and they are among the easiest perennials there are. Seed is sown indoors in trays and given a spell in a cold frame, then hardened off and planted out between May and July in the north. In South Africa they go in through the spring planting months. The one thing that kills them is a wet winter on clay, so put grit in the planting hole and choose the driest, sunniest part of the border. Leave the seed heads standing when the flowers finish, because goldfinches take them apart through autumn and the black cones look well under frost.
Ailments observed
| A soft or mushy base to the stem | Winter wet on heavy ground, which is what kills most of them. Lift and replant into ground improved with grit, or grow it in a raised bed. Cold is not the problem, standing water is. |
|---|---|
| It will not flower | A young plant in its first year, or a clump crowded out by neighbours. Give it a season. Plants raised from seed usually flower in their second year, and a clump swamped by taller perennials needs moving to the front. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner
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