Purple Coneflower

As a complete beginner I was nervous about starting with Purple Coneflower. It turned out to be more forgiving than I expected, as long as I paid attention to sowing directly into poor soil as rich soil encourages weeds. I grow mine in a naturalistic border at the edge of a garden which is working …

I don't have a garden so a wildlife pond margin planting is my only option for Purple Coneflower. It absolutely works — with the right attention to allowing plants to set seed before cutting at the end of season you can get excellent results in containers. exceptional wildlife value for bees, butte…

I started with one Purple Coneflower and now have four, all from propagation. The process is straightforward once you understand avoiding any fertiliser which would favour grasses over flowers — something I picked up from trial and error rather than any guide. I display them in a wildflower meadow …

I nearly gave up on Purple Coneflower after three months of mediocre results. Then I focused properly on scarifying or scratching the soil before sowing for seed contact and within a few weeks the difference was dramatic. It now lives in a wildflower meadow replacing lawn areas and has genuinely tr…

After growing Purple Coneflower for over a year here is what I'd tell a beginner. First: scarifying or scratching the soil before sowing for seed contact is not optional — it's the foundation everything else depends on. Second: annual weed competition overwhelming slow-establishing flowers will hap…

Purple Coneflower is a genuinely satisfying plant to grow, but I want to be upfront about one thing: annual weed competition overwhelming slow-establishing flowers. I've dealt with it twice now and it takes consistent attention to manage. Beyond that, naturalistic aesthetic that suits modern ecolog…

I brought Purple Coneflower home six months ago with high hopes and almost no knowledge. The first challenge was understanding sowing directly into poor soil as rich soil encourages weeds — something I hadn't expected to matter so much. Once I got that right, the whole thing settled down. I grow it…

I had a serious problem with rabbits and slugs targeting young seedlings on my Purple Coneflower earlier this year. Caught it late and had to work hard to bring the plant back. The experience was frustrating but educational. Now that it's healthy again I can fully appreciate naturalistic aesthetic …

I'd had Purple Coneflower for about eight months with acceptable but unremarkable results. Then I started really paying attention to sowing directly into poor soil as rich soil encourages weeds and the difference over the next two months was dramatic. exceptional wildlife value for bees, butterflie…

I've been growing plants seriously for over fifteen years and Purple Coneflower remains a reliable favourite. For anyone starting out: the most critical thing is sowing directly into poor soil as rich soil encourages weeds. Everything else follows from that. rabbits and slugs targeting young seedli…