The long flower stems, fragrance, and long-lasting flowers make this an ideal plant for cut flowers. Twenty-five flowers per plant is not unusual in cultivation. Outer ray flowers vary considerably from the deep rose-purple of Purple Coneflower (E. purpurea) to a much paler shade. Center flowers (disk flowers) are brown. This coneflower tolerates much drier conditions than Purple Coneflower and does best in full sun; it also blooms two to four weeks earlier. One of Missouri's best bee plants.
Uses: bees, butterflies, drought tolerant, cut flowers
Bloom time: June
Height: 26 to 36 inches
Space: 16 to 20 inches
Sun: Full sun to light shade
Moisture: Dry to average (too much pampering may cause the plant to flop over)
Harvest seed in August. Sow by February for good germination. It often germinates without a stratification period, but a couple weeks of a cold, moist period will increase germination dramatically.
- 200 seeds per packet
- 6,625 seeds per ounce
- 1 ounce per 220 square feet
