Echinacea Pallida – How to Grow Pale Purple Coneflower

Pale Purple Coneflower Overview

The native perennial, Pale Purple Coneflower, (Echinacea Pallida) is a good choice for landscapes and prairies.  It has a long bloom time and is very showy, also being very tall (3-5’, 1-1.5 m). There are several differences with the more common Echinacea Purpurea, which is the common Purple Coneflower.  The first being the flower itself, as it has very narrow petals that hang down, almost like a more delicate and graceful coneflower. [1]  The second being the bloom time. In my experience this will bloom 2-3 weeks earlier than Echinacea Purpurea. So, if you like coneflower then you should consider adding a few of these to your garden, as it will allow you a longer duration of having ‘coneflowers’ in bloom during the summer!  Another difference with Echinacea Purpurea is that the leaves are much narrower, which helps in identification prior to blooming.

Also, the roots of echinacea typically go to around 5’ deep (1.5 m), making it very drought tolerant. This plant can thrive in any type of soil, even clay. But, it probably won’t survive if it is semi-wetland, or just a general moist area that doesn’t drain. Another difference differentiating this plant is the leaves are much narrower than the more common Echinaceas.

We have several specimens growing in our backyard micro-prairie.  They add some graceful pink hues in Early Summer while most of the other plants are still growing.  Be sure to check out how to start your own micro-prairie to get maximum color throughout the year, while doing the most to help bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

Growing Pale Purple Coneflower from seed

I’ve never seen this plant available at a garden center.  So, unless you have a good friend with some roots to spare, seed is probably your only option.  

Stratification is pretty much required for this plant.  For instance, most references say 30-90 days, but in my experience, 90 is the safe bet.  Planting depth is the same as other echinaceas, ⅛ to ¼ inch (3-6 mm). I generally use 3-5 seeds per pot/cell, and will usually get at least 2 seeds to germinate per cell.  The easiest way to get the stratification on this plant is to winter sow it.  So, basically plant it during the winter in the ground – or in pots that are protected.

Transplant small seedlings to larger pots once they begin to fill out their pots.  I generally recommend something that is 4” square or diameter at a minimum. You should let the seedling grow for another month or so before transplanting out to the garden.  When choosing a location in the garden, make sure you give this plant enough space. A small seedling one year can easily turn into a large 3’ diameter plant the second.  Also, beware of deer/rabbits, as they like to eat the leaves of young seedlings.  I recommend using some of the rabbit repellent techniques described here.

This plant will generally not bloom the first year.  But if transplanted early enough, I have seen a 1-2 blooms very late in the season.  The second year you can expect to have a strong, vigorous plant that can product 10-20 blooms.  So, it can establish quite quickly.

Purchase Seed

We have ordered a variety of native flower seeds from Everwilde Farms, which you can order right from Amazon through our link on our RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS PAGE. (We may earn a small commission when you purchase through our links, at no cost to you. This helps support our website.)

General Growing Requirements – Pale Purple Coneflower

This is a hardy perennial, and pretty easy to grow.  Another benefit is that bees absolutely love this plant, as evidenced by the picture at right.  It is native to the prairie, where it would receive sun all day, occasional droughts, high wind, etc.  A big threat to Echinacea Pallida is deer and rabbits when the plants are young, or emerging from winter. Another consideration is to avoid putting it in a space that collects too much water, or if it doesn’t receive enough sun.

This plant lights a lot of sun, and well drained soil.  As long as it isn’t in a wetland and gets sun, it should do just fine.  Make sure you keep the rabbits/deer at bay when seedlings are young or when it is emerging from winter.

Once this plant is done blooming and beginning to go dormant, don’t cut it back. Leaving your dormant plants up will provide many ecological benefits. The first benefit you will notice with this flower is that the birds, particularly goldfinches, love to land on the seed-heads and pick out the seeds to eat.  I’ve seen four goldfinches at a time eating seed from plants I have grown. So, it is like a natural bird feeder for your garden! Also, many beneficial insects will hibernate, or have larvae in the hollow stems. Keeping those up will allow them a safe place to over-winter and reemerge in the spring.  

Collecting Echinacea pallida seed

Collecting Pale Purple Coneflower seed is very easy!  If you want to learn all the details on how to save your own seed to propagate more Pale Purple Coneflower, click below!

THE Easiest Way to Harvest Echinacea Seeds

Echinacea Pallida Reference Table:

Common Name	Purple Coneflower, Echinacea
Scientific name	Echinacea Pallida
USDA Garden Zone/td>	4-10
Bloom Time	May/June/July
Bloom Duration	3-6 weeks
Color	Light pink (pale) to light purple
Bloom Size	3 to 5 inch (7-12 cm) diameter daisy like flowers
Characteristics	A clustered group of individual stems rising from the ground, branching at various points, each providing a single bloom. Petals are more slender/narrow than its popular cousin, Echinacea Purpurea [1]
Height	3-5’ (90-150 cm) in full sun
Spacing/Spread	2-3’ (60-120 cm)
Light Requirements	Full sun, part sun
Soil Types	Any
Moisture	Anything well drained.  This plant is drought tolerant.
Maintenance	May need division in 3rd or 4th year
Typical Use	Garden center piece, border.  Great cut flower.
Fauna Associations	Pollinator favorite (bees/butterflies).  Birds will eat the seeds.
Larval Host	Silvery Checkerspot
Sowing Depth	⅛”-¼” (3-6 mm)
Stratification	90 Days – Winter sowing this plant is almost essential.
Native Range	Minnesota to Texas, to Florida and North to Maryland.
Notes	Long bloom duration, pollinator favorite, and very easy to grow from seed.