When to Plant Purple Coneflower?
- Purple coneflowers grow best in full sun or in a slightly shady location that protects them from the hot afternoon sun. Soil should be tilled about 6 to 8 inches deep. Supplement the soil by mixing in 3 to 4 inches of compost or leaf mold as you till. Also add a slow-release fertilizer that is rated 12-6-6 at a rate of 2 lb. per 100 square feet. This will create the ideal planting bed for purple coneflowers.
- Purple coneflowers can be planted anytime you can work the soil. However, they fare better when planted in the spring or fall when temperatures are mild. According to Alabama Cooperative Extension, select the healthiest looking plants grown in 4-inch containers. Plant them so they are planted at the same depth as they were in the container. Space purple coneflowers 18 to 24 inches apart. Water the planting bed thoroughly after planting.
- Water you purple coneflowers every week with 1 inch of water for the first month to help them become established. Then you usually only need to water during dry spells. Remove spent blooms to clean up your flower bed and to encourage more blooms to grow. Also, purple coneflowers need to be divided every three to four years. If you don't, your garden may become so overcrowded that your flowers do not bloom as well as they used to. Simply dig up your flowers in the fall and separate them with your hands and replant.
- You can also plant purple coneflower seeds a couple weeks before the last expected frost in the spring. Sow them 1/2 inch deep, 6 inches apart, and water well. Seeds should germinate in approximately 10 to 20 days. In a month or two, thin out plants to every 18 to 24 inches, keeping the healthiest. Note that purple coneflowers planted from seed will take a couple years to bloom. If you gathered the seed yourself, they will not look like their parent plants.
