We are taking a deep dive into these “good neighbor” plants, what works well together, and what should be avoided… but more importantly, we’re explaining why these things may have positive or negative impacts on your plants! Some plants work well together, and others just don’t. Companion Planting Companion planting, sometimes called intercropping, can be used to deter pests and improve yields.If you follow the stem down to the first set of leaves you might see flower buds forming. If you want to increase the size of newer forming blooms, you can deadhead Echinacea. Fiskars makes some wonderful pruners that come in handy and cut through the thick stems with very little effort. If you’re lucky enough to have a large space with a collection of plants, you can really extend the bloom time by cutting back some of the plants in midsummer.Ĭutting back the plants delays blooming so you can either cut back all your plants for a late summer and fall display or only cut back some of the plants and stagger the bloom times for an even longer season. These low-maintenance plants don’t need pruning throughout the year, but you can prune them to increase blooms and extend bloom time.Įchinacea is already quite a long-blooming plant starting in midsummer and going all the way into the mid-fall in my Zone 7 garden. This taproot also means that they aren’t a good perennial to divide.Īllow the plants to clump and if you want to plant more start them from seed, cuttings, or grab a new transplant. PropagationĮchinacea grows a long taproot which helps them suck up water from deep down in the soil and give them that hardiness. Plant them with some well-rotted compost, and then add compost again in the spring.įollow your normal soil-building strategies and you won’t have to add any supplemental nutrition for the plants. Purple Coneflower Coneflower Care FertilizationĬoneflowers don’t need any special fertilizers throughout the year. Once established, they won’t need any supplemental watering unless you are in periods of extreme drought. Water them well to establish new plants in the garden and encourage deep roots. WateringĮchinacea is also very easygoing when it comes to watering. They still bloom in the shade but are less floriferous and can tend to flop over. I have a lot of shade in my garden, and I try to pop in as many coneflowers as I can anyway. However, the plants will tolerate partial sun as well and still produce plenty of flowers. Echinacea loves bright light and thrives in full sun. Pick a location with the brightest light that you have. They look stunning when planted in mass! Light Seeds should be sown shallowly at approximately 3m (1/8”) deep. You can also direct sow them in early spring or early fall. You can begin sowing Echinacea seeds indoors for 8-10 weeks before transferring them outside. They’re hardy all the way to zone 3, making them a bright and manageable perennial. I love coneflowers not just for their beauty but for how easy they are to grow. Here are a few things you can do to get them started off right. Coneflowers are very low maintenance once they are established.
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