Overrated for ease, underrated for beauty — Purple Coneflower

People describe Purple Coneflower as easy and I'd push back on that slightly. avoiding any fertiliser which would favour grasses over flowers needs consistent attention and rabbits and slugs targeting young seedlings can undermine progress quickly if ignored.

Where Purple Coneflower is genuinely underrated is the beauty. self-seeding and naturalising without annual replanting is extraordinary when you see it in person. I display it in a wildlife pond margin planting and it gets comments from everyone who sees it. cutting back meadow areas in autumn to remove thatch is the time to really understand what this plant offers. Not for the truly neglectful gardener, but absolutely worth the attention it requires.