Let’s Grow Some Echinacea! (It’s Easier Than You Think!)
Want to fill your garden with gorgeous, cheerful blooms that bees and butterflies adore? Then let’s talk about Echinacea, also known as Coneflowers! These beauties are super easy to grow from seed, and it’s a fantastic way to get tons of colorful plants without breaking the bank.
Ready to get your hands dirty? We’ll explore three simple ways to grow these drought-tough darlings from seed: starting them indoors, winter sowing (super cool!), or planting them directly in your garden.
Echinacea are called Coneflowers for a reason – check out those amazing cone-shaped centers! They’re not just pretty faces; once they’re settled in, they’re incredibly drought-tolerant, making them perfect for low-maintenance gardens.
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These North American native gems (especially the Echinacea Purpurea) are surprisingly easy to grow from seed. Let’s jump right into how you can cultivate these beauties in your own backyard!
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Where to Find Your Echinacea Seeds
- Starting Echinacea Seeds Indoors (For a Head Start!)
- Direct Sowing Coneflower Seeds (The Easy-Peasy Method!)
- Our Top Tips for Growing Amazing Echinacea
- Are Echinacea Perennial? (Hint: YES!)
Where to Buy Echinacea Seeds – Purple Coneflower Seeds
Alright, first things first – you need seeds! Check out your local garden center, a big home improvement store, or browse online.
I have a few favorite seed sources like Select Seeds, Swallowtail Seeds, Botanical Interests, and Renees Garden. You can often find Echinacea seeds tucked away in the “herb” section of seed catalogs, so don’t forget to look there!
While there are tons of fantastic Echinacea hybrids out there, I highly recommend including the original wildflower, Echinacea Purpurea (the purple coneflower). It’s a reliable performer and often reseeds itself, giving you even more blooms! Another native species to keep an eye out for is Echinacea Augustfolia.
I love flowers that practically take care of themselves and create amazing splashes of color in the garden!
A little word of caution: Be careful buying seeds from unknown sellers online. I’ve seen some folks selling seeds from sterile hybrid Echinacea, and those won’t germinate reliably – or might not be the flower you’re expecting. Reputable plant sellers usually only sell sterile hybrids as established plants.
Once you’ve got your seeds, get ready to start the magic!
Indoor Seed Starting for Echinacea – Coneflower
Starting Echinacea seeds indoors is a lot like starting many other flowers, and any home gardener can do it!
Aim to start your seeds in late winter or early spring. Fill your seed starting containers with your seed starting mix or use a high-quality all-purpose potting mix.
Seed Starting Made Easy! Starting seeds indoors is an awesome, budget-friendly way to get a jump start on the growing season!
If you’re using individual cell trays, pop one seed into each cell. No need to overcrowd them and have to thin them out later – that’s just a waste of seeds!
If you’re sowing seeds in a tray (like I often do), space them out about an inch apart. Gently press them into the soil and cover them lightly with a sprinkle of vermiculite.
Next, cover your pot with a clear plastic lid or dome. This creates a mini-greenhouse effect! Keep them nice and cozy at around 70 degrees F, and you should see sprouts popping up in 10-21 days.
Winter Sowing Success! Some coneflower varieties actually germinate better with a bit of cold stratification, which makes them perfect for winter sowing!
Be sure to check the seed packet for specific instructions.
Once your little seedlings have sprouted and have their second set of leaves (the “true leaves”), it’s time to give them their own homes!
Fill each individual pot with good potting mix and gently transfer a seedling into each one. Give them a good watering!
After a week or two of letting them settle in, I usually move mine to the greenhouse to start “hardening them off.” This gets them used to outdoor conditions so they’re strong and ready for the garden. Echinacea is cold-hardy, so they’ll usually do just fine.
Direct Sowing Echinacea / Coneflower Seeds
Want to skip the indoor stuff? You can absolutely sow echinacea seeds directly into your garden 2-4 weeks before your last expected frost. Plant the seeds about ⅛ inch deep, in clusters of 3-4 seeds, spaced 18-24 inches apart. Choose a spot with full sun or partial shade, and well-drained soil.
Depending on the weather, you should see seedlings emerge in 10 days to 2 weeks. Once they’re up and growing, thin them out, leaving the strongest seedling in each spot (when thinning you can dig up and transplant the spares).
Many Echinacea varieties won’t show off their blooms until their second year unless started early, but these days, many newer varieties will bloom in their first year! Check your seed packet to know what to expect.
If you want flowers in the first year then sowing the seeds in Fall works best. I often have many volunteer seedlings popping up that reseeded in the late summer and early fall.
Grow Echinacea and Keep them Blooming!
With these tips you will grow Echinacea successfully.
Did you know that Echinacea Coneflower makes great cut flowers? Using them in your Cut Flower Garden is a great way to deadhead them!
No cottage garden should be without these beauties! They’re one of those reliable plants that come back reliably year after year with minimal effort.
If you want your Echinacea Coneflowers to reseed themselves, let the flower heads stand through the fall. Not only are they beautiful, but birds will enjoy the seeds as a food source during the winter.
As the birds pick at the seeds, many will fall to the ground and plant themselves. Come spring, you’ll have lots of baby seedlings popping up around the parent plant!
When you have several colors of Echinacea in your garden, the spontaneously grown seedlings can vary in color. Just enjoy the surprise and the free flowers!
Echinacea Companion Plants
I have not found any plants that I regularly grow that do not go well with Echinacea Coneflowers. They pair well with vegetables too as they attract pollinators. Feel free to plant them around your garden as you please.
I had problems with the little critters like gophers enjoying mine so I planted started growing coneflowers in raised beds that had wire mesh beneath to prevent that or in containers, both worked well.
Is Echinacea Perennial?
You bet! Echinacea are perennial, meaning they’ll come back year after year, bringing joy to your garden for years to come!
I really hope this guide has inspired you to grow your own Echinacea from seed. Happy planting!
Fun Fact: You can even read about the traditional uses of Echinacea leaves!