They might bloom some more for you this summer, or not. Mine are beginning to flop and look a little bit ratty. But they have been blooming for four months solid, so I don't mind. They will die back over winter until you can't even see where they were and then will come up again in the spring, often with more plants than you started with. They are good at volunteering new plants here and there around the garden, without being invasive.

Good luck with yours.

Marcia

Are you all talking about Coneflowers? I have never had any luck with them and would love to raise them as the Butterflies love them or so I am told. Do you get them as plants or grow from seed?

I am wondering the same thing. I was driving through the historic house district in our downtown area this morning and someone had beautiful purple coneflowers growing. I have never had any luck with them. Is there anything special you do for them?

Yes, echinacea is purple coneflower. I buy my plants at Home Depot. I bought 3 small plants four years ago, planted them in my rose garden, and every year there are a few more. I don't do anything special at all. In fact, I don't feed them nearly as much as I should. They've only been fed once since the beginning of spring. Today, I have 3 nice clumps of them, two or three plants in each clump, and as I say, they have been blooming at least 3 months, more like four. But they ARE beginning to go away.

The plants have gotten more robust every year since I planted them. I think you have to be patient with them, and even if they look pathetic the first year (mine did), don't pull them up. They will die completely back over winter, but they will come back in the spring, and will be thicker and taller than before. And they seed themselves if I don't deadhead them.

The individual flowers last for several weeks each. The butterflies love them and they smell really nice. The only one I lost completely was a white one.

Try them again next spring and be patient with them. Like many perennials, the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.

Good luck!

Marcia

yeah, i've tied for a couple of years to successfully gro Enchinacea. i've bought plants from Home Depot, Lowes, and native nurserys. they all flamed out. so i figured i would try one more time. This time i bought them in herb section at home depot, here they are small, and not flowering.

if you are going to buy Echninacea this is where i would buy them, the herb section at home depot. They have performed very well for me this year. honestly, i'm pleasantly suprised. Plus, they are a stand-out in my backyard garden!

so don't give on Echinacea...

-chris

That's where I usually get mine, Chris, and next year, you will probably find you have several new plants, plus the parent plants will be bigger and fuller.

Marcia

Thanks for the info. I've always tried the plants too without success, so I will definitely buy from the herb section in the spring and try again. I love those plants.

Ginny

Just to be clear, Ginny, when I say the "herb section," I mean 4" potted plants, not seed packets. Since echinacea is an herb, they sell them there as well as with the flowering perennials.

Good luck with them!

Marcia