Purple coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
An ornamental plant, planted March to October, or sown May to August.
In September: mulch the purple coneflower. It can be planted out now.
Add purple coneflower to my plot
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Purple coneflower, month by month
Bar: the usual months. Sprout: this month.
| Sowing, planting or job | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2027Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow under cover. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual |
| Sow outdoors. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | none |
| Plant out. | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Plant a pot-grown purple coneflower. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Plant a bare-root purple coneflower. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | none | none | none | none | none |
| Cut back the purple coneflower. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none |
| Cut the purple coneflower stems back by a third to a half. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | none | none |
| Mulch the purple coneflower. | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none |
What to do, and when
The usual months for a UK garden. Your own plan gives the week.
Sowing and planting
Sow under cover in August, 1.5cm deep. Moderate sources: RHS and Mr Fothergill’s.
Sow outdoors May to July, 1.5cm deep, 5cm apart. Moderate source: Mr Fothergill’s.
Plant out May to October, 40cm apart. Moderate source: Mr Fothergill’s.
Plant a pot-grown purple coneflower March to August, 30 to 45cm apart. Strong sources: RHS and Gardening Express.
Plant a bare-root purple coneflower in March, 15 to 20cm apart. Moderate sources: Hayloft and Farmer Gracy.
Cut back the purple coneflower
With a knife, shears or secateurs, cut old stems close to the base, avoiding any new shoots. From RHS.
Usually March to May. Moderate source: Gardeners’ World.
Cut the purple coneflower stems back by a third to a half
Gardeners call this the Chelsea chop.
Usually May to June. Strong source: RHS.
Mulch the purple coneflower
Use well-rotted manure or compost.
Usually September to November. Moderate source: Gardeners’ World.
What the source words mean
Strong: the RHS page for this plant is among them.Moderate: another trusted UK source, or the RHS on its group.
What not to do
Don’t lift and divide it
Purple coneflowers dislike being disturbed, so let each plant grow into a large clump.
Moderate source: RHS.
Add purple coneflower to my plot
Every line above names the page it comes from. Where we found no good source for a job, we left it out. Where the name “Purple coneflower” comes from.