A year of growing Purple Coneflower — detailed seasonal notes

Here are my notes from twelve months of growing Purple Coneflower:

Spring: early spring bulbs and annual seedling germination. This was the moment that confirmed the whole venture. I focused on sowing directly into poor soil as rich soil encourages weeds during this period which set up the rest of the year.

self-seeding and naturalising without annual replanting developed steadily through the warmer months. annual weed competition overwhelming slow-establishing flowers appeared in summer and required prompt treatment. The plant in a container with a meadow mix for a balcony performed better than I'd expected for the position. Overall: a rewarding year. The investment of attention is paid back generously.