Purple Coneflower / Echinacea purpurea
One of the best native plants for the garden. It attracts a diverse group of bees and butterflies, is sturdy and upright, and is a clumping perennial. It spreads by seed fairly readily, so if you are uninterested in it proliferating, you can deadhead the seed heads. These plants are usually about three or four feet tall and can withstand some drought conditions.
Seed Planting/Germination Key
Storage: Store in a cool, dry, dark place prior to planting.
Rule of thumb for depth of planting: The maximum depth should generally be half the width of the seed, but many wildflower seeds will germinate well if sown on the surface.
Easy: Generally germinates within 5 to 30 days with no need for cold pretreatment. Keep potting mix or soil consistently moist during the germination period.
Cold(30): Germination rates are higher if cold pretreatment applied either by placing the seed within moist paper towel or sand within a refrigerator for 30 days or outside in late winter.
Cold(60): Germination rates are higher if cold pretreatment applied either by placing the seed within moist paper towel or sand within a refrigerator for 60 days or outside in mid-winter.
Cold(90); Outdoors: Germination rates are higher if cold pretreatment applied either by placing the seed within moist paper towel or sand within a refrigerator for 90 days or outside in late fall or early winter. The best route is to plant these outdoors in either a pot or directly on the soil.
Approximate Seeds Per Packet: 200
Germination: Easy
Lifecycle: Perennial
Sunlight: Full, Part
Soil Moisture: Moist, Medium
Height: 4
Bloom Period: June-August
Bloom Color: Purple
USDA Zones: 4-8
Attracts: Bees, Butterflies, Birds
Larval Host For: Silvery Checkerspot Butterfly