Coneflowers

Every year we fall in love with new types of annuals in stunning new shades, shapes and sizes. While there’s a lot to be said about playing with something new in the garden, there are a lot of reasons why we never quite move on from the classics.

Coneflowers are the ultimate statement in simple beauty and elegance. We’re always enchanted looking at these confident and colorful blooms. They’re a great choice for any garden, pairing the beauty of traditional flowers with the color choice of modern annuals. These perennials are hardy, stunning, and easy to grow, all while attracting the right kinds of pollinator traffic to your garden.

Beautiful Echinacea

Coneflowers are also commonly known as Echinacea, the terms being interchangeable as “Echinacea” is the scientific genus for this type of bloom. Whichever term you use, every variety of this flower is noted for its distinctive shape: a prominent seed head is the centerpiece that a ring of delicate blooms fan away from, angled gently towards the ground. Their cascade of petals in a cone shape is eye-catching and unique in any garden.

While purple coneflower is the traditional favorite, new variations are constantly available, offering the same elegance in new shades and varieties. Each new type captures the elegance that we depend on from echinacea, but the exciting new colors and styles offer us fresh flowers to take on supporting or leading roles in any garden. From exciting and fiery double-petaled divas to dainty and understated whites and purples, there’s a coneflower for any garden aesthetic.
No matter the variety, these flowers seem to capture a simpler time. Including them in your garden is an easy way to transform your backyard into an elegant country cottage sanctuary, or even add a touch of nostalgia in a garden bursting with contemporary color.

Coneflowers in Iowa

While their blooms might look dainty and delicate, these flowers are anything but. Their heavy seed heads and petals are supported on tough stems that can usually grow very successfully with limited supervision.

Coneflowers are also a famous Iowa native, meaning they won’t need extra pampering to withstand everything our summer weather might throw at them. These perennials will bloom mid-summer, year after year, without you working hard to help them survive drought or heat conditions. Echinaceas are a perfect balance between pretty and practical to give you a gorgeous garden aesthetic while saving you most of the back-breaking work.

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Growing Coneflowers

These perennials can be started from root division in the fall, but the most popular way to introduce them is by starter plant in the spring. They are easy plants to care for that will reward you with abundant blooms every year.

Planting: Choose a location for your coneflowers that will receive lots of sun. While full sun is ideal for these flowers, they can tolerate some shade as long as they see direct sunlight for about 6 hours every day. They’ll grow best in soil that has good drainage but will benefit from having a little bit of compost mixed in before planting to nurture them as they grow.

Care: Coneflowers won’t need any supplemental watering if they see average rainfall, but will need a drink weekly to keep them looking their best in droughts. Echinaceas are extremely tough and can handle dry conditions, but a layer of mulch around them will do wonders to lock in the little moisture that they need, especially on hot summer days. Although a little fertilizing won’t hurt your echinacea, they usually don’t need the extra help to thrive in their home soils.

Maintenance: You can expect to see lots of coneflower blossoms in the middle of summer. Prolong their blooming season as long as you can by deadheading the blooms. Near the end of the season, though, leave the last seed heads on your flowers to dry and attract songbirds. If your flowers are looking floppy on weak stems, or are fading in the late summer season, cut the blooms to the ground instead of deadheading or cut back the plant by a third to revitalize it when it grows back.

Coneflowers are garden powerhouses that provide a long list of aesthetic and practical benefits to your garden. These classic beauties are the perfect choice for any garden, fitting seamlessly into your design while beautifying their surroundings. Incredibly simple to grow, these gorgeous perennial blooms are a gift to you and your garden, year after year.