Purple Coneflower

How to grow Purple Coneflower

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team · Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Written for UK gardens · How we research our guidance

Planting

Plant in spring rather than autumn so the roots establish before their first winter. Full sun and free-draining soil are both essential; winter wet in heavy ground kills more plants than cold does. Space about 45 cm apart.

Pruning

Deadhead through summer to prolong flowering, or leave the later heads to form seedheads. Leave the stems and cones standing over winter for structure and for birds, and cut back in early spring.

Propagation

Divide in spring every three or four years. Root cuttings in autumn also work. Seed of the straight species germinates reasonably well after a cold period, but the many named cultivars will not come true.

Pests and diseases

Slugs and snails on young growth in spring. Plants weakened by winter wet often rot at the crown, and aster leafhopper-borne aster yellows occasionally distorts flowerheads.

Value to wildlife

Butterflies, bees and hoverflies use the flowers through late summer, and goldfinches take the seed from the standing cones in autumn and winter.

Notes

Many of the highly bred coloured cultivars are noticeably shorter-lived than the plain purple species. If you want a clump that persists for years, the straight species on well-drained soil is the safer choice.

Some structured details on this page (such as tolerances, pH and hardiness) come from USDA PLANTS Database (public domain). The written guidance is GardenDecoded's own, researched as described in our editorial policy.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Echinacea purpurea but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Others in Echinacea