Pronounciation: Ech-i-NA-ce-a pur-pur-E-a

Hardiness zones
Sunset All
USDA 2-11

Landscape Use: Mixed flower borders, floral accent, herb gardens, pollinator gardens, containers.

Form & Character: Strongly erect, stiff, and formal, colorful.

Growth Habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial grown as a winter and spring annual in Phoenix. Usually grows to about 1- to 5-feet tall with a moderate clumping habit spreading to 2-feet wide.

Foliage/Texture: Foliage is medium green, ovate to lanceolate, somewhat scabrous, aromatic; medium texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Terminal ray flowers with somewhat drooping pink, purple petals; fruits a blackened cone structure.

Seasonal Color: Intense blooms during early to mid spring though in other climates (such as in north Arizona mountain cities) echinacea blooms during the summer.

Temperature: Prefers cooler Phoenix weather and spring conditions. Intolerant of summer heat.

Light: Full sun to partial shade.

Soil: Not fussy, well drained and organic preferred in Phoenix area. Use of organic surface mulch to keep soils cooler longer during the warm spring will prolong plant viability as the Phoenix weather gets hot!!

Watering: Regular supplemental water.

Pruning: None needed.

Propagation: Allow seed heads to dry before seed harvest. Store seed dry and sow in the fall in Phoenix and other mild climates. In cooler climates where its perennial habit is sustained, divide clumps every three to five years for best garden performance.

Disease and Pests: None in the desert Southwest, but Japanese beetle and bacterial leaf spot are occasional problems in eastern Unied States landscape garden locations.

Additional comments: Echinacea is a nice old-fashioned plant for mixed, mesic flower gardens that attracts bees, butterflies and birds; seldom seen in Phoenix gardens. It performs oh so much better in the higher elevation cities of Arizona such as Prescott, Flagstaff and Payson as a summer annual.

Ethnobotanical uses: The aboveground parts of the plant and roots of echinacea are used fresh or dried to make teas, squeezed (expressed) juice, extracts, or preparations for external use. Studies to date have not proven that echinacea shortens the course of colds or flu.

Minor taxonomic factoid: There are nine known species in the genus Echinacea, all of which are native to the United States and southern Canada. 'Echinos' is Greek for spiny and pointed like a sea urchin or hedgehog.