Echinacea Plants

Question

I have an echinacea plant in my back garden. It is in a nice shady place and it hasn’t quite finished flowering. What do I do with it when it does finish? Will it grow again next season? It is about 3 to 4 feet high. Do I cut it down? I have harvested the dead heads of the flowers and put them away. When do I reset them, and is there anything I have to do to make them take?

Answer 1

It is up to you as far as cutting or leaving them. Either way is fine. Some people actually like to leave the plants and flower heads intact for the winter as the birds like to eat the seeds. It can provide some winter interest in the garden and then the plants can be cut back in the spring.

Yes, they do generally come back but you can still spread the seeds over the area you want them to grow in and cover slightly with soil (they don’t need much). This can be done now or in early spring. The seeds will need water in the spring after winterizing (or following spring planting). In most cases, normal rainfall is enough but if you have a dry spring, you’ll need to water the area.