How to Grow Echinacea Purpurea

Echinacea in bloom

Echinacea purpurea is a flower that is used in herbal medicine to improve the immune system. These drought-tolerant perennials, also called purple coneflower, will add a splash of color to your yard. They need a location that has full sun and well-drained soil. In addition to the medicinal uses, they can attract birds to the yard and provide some interest to the garden in winter. Use these steps to start growing Echinacea purpurea in your own garden.

Things You'll Need

• Echinacea seeds

Instructions

1. Place seeds in a bag of moist peat moss and place in the refrigerator for one month. This method is called stratification, and will improve the chances of germination.

2. Start your seeds inside in a pot of soil. Plant seeds an eighth of an inch deep, and water. The seeds should sprout in two weeks to one month. Continue to grow your plants indoors for six weeks.

3. Harden your seedlings by taking them outside for a short period of time daily once the weather is warm and there's no more frost, increasing outdoor time by a bit every day. This will allow the seedlings to adjust to the environment outside.

4. Find a location in the yard that is well-draining and receives full sun. Echinacea purpurea can grow in most types of soil, including clay. Plants will need to be placed a foot apart, so make sure that the location will have enough room.

5. Dig a hole that is as deep as the growing pot. Gently squeeze the sides of the pot to make removal easier. Remove the plant and place into the hole, then tamp the soil around the plant.

6. Water the Echinacea purpurea at least weekly for the first year so the roots can be established.

7. A light application of a general fertilizer or compost may be added, if desired, but Echinacea purpurea will also grow in poor soils. Do not use a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen or the root system may become weak.

8. Remove any weeds that appear, especially during the first year. During that time, the plant is still becoming established and is not ready to compete with weeds for nutrients and water.

9. Remove flowers that have bloomed by cutting at a 45-degree angle just above a node (the joint where the stems and leaves meet the main stem). This is called deadheading, and will sometimes enable the plant to bloom again.

Tips & Warnings

• Flowers can be left on the stem, and the seeds will attract birds. Leave the flower heads on for winter scenery.

References

• Growing Echinacea Information
• Purple Coneflower
• More on Growing Echinacea