Coneflowers have daisy-like booms are actually made up of several small flowers.  These flowers are rich in nectar and very popular with both bees and butterflies. Hummingbirds also enjoy coneflowers, and birds like finches eat (and spread) the seeds.  Coneflowers can be pink, red, orange, white, and yellow. Most varieties have large single-petaled blooms, but double- and triple-flowered varieties are also available. They typically grow 18 to 36 inches tall.

They grow well just about anywhere in USDA hardiness zones three through nine. In colder climates, you may want to give them a little winter protection the first year. Once established, coneflowers are rugged and hardy.

Coneflowers are easily found in garden centers and can also be purchased online or mail order. These colorful plants start blooming in early summer and will repeat-bloom throughout the first frost.

Light

 To get the most blooms, it is best to plant your coneflowers in a spot that gets at least six to eight hours of full sunlight daily. The plants will grow in partial shade, but may eventually flop over, and the blooms won’t be as plentiful.

Soil

Coneflowers grow best in a garden with a neutral soil pH of about 6.5 to 7.0. They can thrive in a variety of soil types, including sandy, rocky, and clay soils, but they don’t like wet or mucky soil. In other words, don’t try to grow them in your pond!

Water

Coneflowers are often listed as drought-tolerant plants, but they will actually do much better with fairly regular watering. Water them daily just after planting, then move on to an inch of water per week for the rest of the plant’s first year. Second-year and older plants may only need watering during really dry times.

Temperature and Humidity

As a native prairie plant, coneflowers thrive in hot, dry climates but can handle a range of temperature and humidity variations. Really humid climates and rainy areas are not their favorites and they do not do well there.

Fertilizer

Adding compost each spring usually gives them the nutrition they need for healthy foliage and blooms.  They do enjoy soil with good organic matter, but too much fertilizer can make them leggy.

Pruning

Pruning coneflower is helpful, but not necessary. You can leave the plants standing throughout the winter months to feed the birds, and pruning them back in the spring will result in bushier plants that bloom longer into the season.