Assuming this is a quart plant.... Yes deadhead... And it most likely won't flower for the rest of this year... And even if it did you should cut the bloom off so it holds through winter better. But it would like it's doing well and making more basal leaves..... Which is a good sign.

Tku. And how does one 'deadhead'...do I cut just below the flowerhead, below the flowerhead but just above a pair of (now dead on the stem) leaves, or do I cut the entire stem just an inch or two above the soil line

Just cut below the head minimally. But anything dead below it can also be removed

which ech do you have. Many of us have found great differences between the "basic" ech such as Magnus and some others.

Thank.s I have purpurea/Butterfly Kisses.

Echinacea are pretty tough. For this plant, whether or not to deadhead isn't super critical. It should produce multiple flowers a year either with or without deadheading. You leave the seeds on if you want it to reseed or want to provide food for birds. (Or have a big plant and limited time to garden) You deadhead if want the plant to conserve energy or bloom a little bit longer.

Ech butterfly kisses is a double form.... So it actually won't set and seed anyway. So trim away.... Unless you want winter interest of the dried bloom heads which do look nice.

I planted some hybrid echinacea last year and they bloomed a little all summer. This year, they are much larger and covered in blooms. I also have some native purple coneflowers that are three feet tall and doing GREAT.

I deadhead most flowers, just to prevent them from spending energy creating seeds, and as Nevermore says, the hybrids won't give you seeds like the parent.