Pale purple coneflower

Questions about pale purple coneflower

Does pale purple coneflower need sun or shade?

Pale purple coneflower grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).

It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does pale purple coneflower grow in?

USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does pale purple coneflower flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers mid June to mid July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should pale purple coneflower be planted?

16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.

It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many pale purple coneflower plants do I need?

At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.

In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.

Is pale purple coneflower poisonous to dogs and cats?

No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.

"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.

Do deer eat pale purple coneflower?

Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.

What flowers after pale purple coneflower?

Pale purple coneflower is over by mid July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Prairie dropseed: from mid August to mid September, 2½ ft tall (a recorded partner).
• Blazing star: from mid July to mid August, 3 ft tall (a recorded partner).
• Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.

What does pale purple coneflower look like in winter?

Pale purple coneflower dies down, but leave the stems standing: the seed heads stand through the winter. Cut them down in early spring, before the new shoots come.

Is pale purple coneflower good for bees and butterflies?

Pale purple coneflower is visited by pollinators, bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

It is a host plant: the caterpillars of silvery checkerspot feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.

It is native to the United States.