How to grow echinacea and the best varieties

With their prominent central cone surrounded by rays of petals, echinacea or coneflowers are a great addition to borders. They’ll bloom from midsummer until October in shades of pink, white, orange, red and even green. 

Which? Gardening magazine grew a selection of widely available varieties of coneflower to see which would give the best and longest-lasting display. 

Key facts

• Plant type Perennial
• Position Full sun
• Soil Any well drained

How to grow echinacea: month by month

Planting

Plant in spring, if possible, to give plants time to establish. Any well-drained soil in full sun will suffice.

Caring for your plants

Deadhead regularly early in the flowering season to prolong flowering. Stop deadheading in September – the seedheads provide food for birds and help protect the plant’s crown in winter. Remove old stems once new growth appears in spring.

Propagate by taking root cuttings in late autumn or early spring when plants are dormant. Use supports to stop tall flower stems flopping.

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Best echinacea varieties

'Big Kahuna'

Height x spread 80 x 80cm

Where to buy Burncoose Nurseries; Hardy's

This robust variety did well at both test sites, flowering for 22 weeks in north London and 12 in Northumberland. We liked its inverted cone habit, which was sturdy and didn’t need staking. The flowers were very attractive, with lovely peachy orange petals around a spiky red-orange domed centre, and they were popular with bumblebees.

Peak flowering July to October

'Delicious Candy'

Height x spread 65 x 50cm

Where to buy Crocus

Reaching peak flowering from July, this compact variety was a big hit with visitors to our Capel Manor trial grounds. The narrow, deep-green leaves sit at the base of sturdy stems, which bear pompom-like double cones surrounded by red-pink florets. Peak flowering continued until late September, and plants were still producing flowers into October.

Peak flowering July to September

'Fountain Red'

Height x spread 50 x 40cm

Where to buy Plant Providers; Middleton Nurseries

Another shorter variety that would be ideal for pots or the front of borders, ‘Fountain Red’ did better in the second year at both sites. We had nine weeks of the large red flowers in Northumberland and 19 weeks in north London. The plants’ compact habit paired with large blooms looked a little congested, but the vibrant colour made up for this.

Peak flowering July to September

'Marmalade'

Height x spread 110 x 60cm

Where to buy J Parker's

This statuesque variety was one of the earliest to reach peak flowering at both test sites. The fabulous eye-catching blooms really stood out in the border, with their frilled fuzzy orange centres surrounded by drooping orange petals. It has an appealing spreading habit, like a wide inverted cone; the outer stems need a bit of support.

Peak flowering July to October

'Purple Emperor'

Height x spread 55 x 50cm

Where to buy Newlands Nursery, South Eastern Horticultural

Blooming for 19 weeks in its first year, this dwarf form did particularly well in the north, producing lots of large, flat magenta blooms. Some were a little hidden in the dense, compact foliage, but their sheer numbers won out. The flowers faded to a paler pink as they aged, creating a multitoned effect. 

Peak flowering July to October

Full testing results for echinacea

Best echinacea varieties

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Full testing results for echinacea

How we tested echinacea

We chose 21 of the most widely available varieties, including Best Buys from our 2015 trial and some that hold an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM). 

We planted three plants of each variety in a sunny, well-drained bed at our Capel Manor Gardens trial site in north London. We did the same at The Alnwick Garden in Northumberland, where the climate is wetter and colder. We grew them for two years, taking weekly recordings of when they were flowering and assessing the plants for the following criteria.

• Flowering How long plants flowered for, attractiveness, and whether there were lots of blooms open at once
• Habit The overall shape of the plants and whether they needed staking
• Pests and disease Whether the plants suffered from any problems 
• Fragrance and pollinators Whether flowers were scented and attractive to insects

Problems with echinacea

Watch for slug and snail damage on emerging growth in spring; protect with ferric phosphate pellets. Find out about the best organic slug and snail controls.

Echinacea are generally disease-free but can suffer from fungal leaf spots caused by alternaria – look out for brown patches that turn silvery and brittle. Remove affected leaves.