• Echinacea purpurea - Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants
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Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants

Echinacea purpurea

Echinacea purpurea

£9.50 GBP
£9.50 GBP
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11 in stock

Size

Plants are dispatched in growing condition and may not be in full flower. If too tall to pack safely, we may cut them back — this helps them establish more quickly. Read our Mail Order FAQs.

100% Peat Free Pollinator Friendly

The classic Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea is one of the great cottage garden perennials. Stout, upright stems rise to around 100cm, clothed in coarsely textured, lance-shaped mid-green leaves, and topped from midsummer well into autumn with large, elegant flowerheads. The slightly reflexed, light purplish-pink petals sweep back from a prominent golden-brown central cone — a form that bees and butterflies find irresistible.

Native to the prairies and open woodlands of eastern North America, it is naturally tough and easy to grow in a sunny border with fertile, free-draining soil. Give each plant its own space; Echinacea will not thrive if crowded by neighbouring plants.

Height × Spread: 100cm × 30cm

☀️ Sunlight Full sun, Partial shade
📅 Season of Interest Summer, Autumn
🌸 Flower Colour Pink
🌿 Foliage Colour Green
🪏 Preferred Soil Type Chalky, Loamy, Sandy
💧 Soil Moisture Content Low
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Plant Notes

  • Care Guide

    Plant in full sun in well-drained, reasonably fertile soil. Space generously — Echinacea dislikes overcrowding and resents competition from neighbours. Once established, it is drought-tolerant and largely trouble-free. Deadhead regularly throughout the growing season to encourage further flowers. Leave the final seed heads of the season standing through winter; they provide architectural interest and are a valuable food source for birds. Cut back to ground level in late winter as new growth appears. Divide approximately every four years in autumn or spring, but leave undisturbed while the plant looks healthy and vigorous.

  • Good to Know

    Wildlife-friendly — the flowers are a rich nectar source for bees and butterflies, and the seed heads attract goldfinches and other seed-eating birds through autumn and winter.

    Long-lived and rewarding once established in the right conditions — good drainage and full sun are key.

    Some varieties are lightly scented — worth seeking out on a warm day.