Basic tips for growing and maintaining purple coneflower

No native wildflower has won as many gardeners' hearts as purple coneflower has. Large and long-limbed, at one metre (three feet) tall, the plants produce a dramatic show of long-lasting flowers in summer. Check out these basic tips and start growing purple coneflower the right way.

• Each daisylike bloom consists of a prominent cone-shaped orange flower centre surrounded by rosy, downward-slanted petals.
• Purple coneflower also attracts beneficial wildlife, notably butterflies in summer and goldfinches in fall.
• As with many native plants, there is quite a bit of variation in terms of flower size, colour and shape. These subtle differences add to this flower's interest when it's grown in wildflower meadows.
• But more refined selections are worth pursuing for a perennial border, where purple coneflower should always hold a prominent place on the strength of its late summer and fall performance.
• Unlike some of its wild ancestors, which have petals that sweep back from the cone, the award-winning variety 'Magnus' has big flowers with petals that don't droop, so the flower really asserts its daisylike look.
• For coneflowers of a different colour, try creamy 'White Swan' or reddish 'Crimson Star'.
• The 'Nana' cultivar is a little shorter, making it possible to invite purple coneflower to the front of flower gardens, where it can be enjoyed up close.
• Not surprisingly, some of purple coneflower's most successful associates share its wild heritage, among them blanket flower, coreopsis, goldenrod and rudbeckia.

Don't expect purple coneflower to be an instant hit, as plants need two to three years to reach their full glory.

• Sun helps them grow quickly, although some gardeners prefer the slightly relaxed habit the plants develop when grown in partial shade.
• To create instant impact, set plants in groupings of three to five, so that sparse blossoms appear to be more numerous.
• By the time the plants attain maturity, you will have plenty of flowers to admire and enjoy.

• Unlike many plants native to central and eastern North America, purple coneflower prefers neutral soil. If your soil is acidic clay, modify its texture and pH by amending each planting site with sand and garden lime per package directions.
• Set out plants in spring around the time of your last frost.
• Water during dry spells in the first summer, but do not fertilize; thereafter, purple coneflowers do a good job of fending for themselves.
• Heavy-handed feeding leads to green growth at the expense of flowers.
• They tolerate drought, succumb to root rot only when grown in soggy soil and are rarely bothered by pests, except rabbits and groundhogs.
• Established plants seldom require dividing, but division is the best way to propagate and rejuvenate a plant that has lost stamina due to old age.
• In fall or early spring, while the plants are dormant, dig them up and shake the soil off the roots. Then use your hands and a small knife to untangle their delicate roots, taking care not to break them, and cut apart the crowns, or growing points. Replant them immediately, at the same depth at which they previously grew, and water well until the divisions are established.

The flowers are at once wild and elegant, making this perennial a must-have for arrangements. Keep these tips in mind and add purple coneflowers to your garden today!