How to Plant Pink Coneflowers

Pink coneflower, or Echinacea pallida, is a flowering herbaceous plant that originates from the south-central United States. It can grow to 3 feet tall and produces flowers that are usually pink, but can range from nearly white to rose in color. Pink coneflower is cold hardy and the mature plants can grow outside as a perennial in most of the United States. This plant propagates easily from seed.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

things you’ll need:

• Greenhouse
• Planting tray
• Planting pots
• Garden trowel

1. Select a permanent planting site that can support pink coneflower. This plant prefers full sun, but it can also grow in partial shade. Rich loam is best for pink coneflower, but it can succeed in a typical garden soil.
2. Obtain pink coneflower seeds. Many varieties of this plant are available and a commercial source of seeds ensures the plants have the characteristics you desire.
3. Fill a planting tray with potting soil in late March to early April. Sow the pink coneflower seeds directly onto the soil. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil and place the tray indoors.
4. Keep the temperature of the pink coneflower seeds as close to 75 degrees Fahrenheit as possible. The seeds should begin to sprout in one to three weeks. Water the seedlings regularly, ensuring the soil becomes completely dry between watering.
5. Remove the seedlings from the planting trays and transplant them to individual planting pots when they are large enough to handle, usually within three months. Move the pink coneflower seedlings to a greenhouse.
6. Plant the pink coneflowers in their permanent location in late spring of the second year after planting. Divide mature plants in the spring, and transplant them directly to other outdoor locations. Transplant young plants to pots and grow them in a greenhouse until they are fully mature.