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FLIMBY: Grow coneflowers for the pollinators -- and yourself

Echinacea flowers draw bees, butterflies and eventually birds

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Kathy Morrison PUBLISHED JUN 9, 2026

Bees seem to especially love the original purple coneflowers. Kathy Morrison

This is another installment in our Flowers in My Back Yard series, devoted to blooming plants.

As drought-tolerant herbaceous perennials, coneflowers cover a lot of bases in the garden.

They are as cheerful as sunflowers (but take up a lot less room), as drought-tolerant as salvia, and as sturdy as Shasta daisies. Coneflowers are wonderful cut flowers, fresh or dried, and do well in containers or in-ground planting beds. Maintenance is minimal once they're established.

As a bonus for foothills gardeners, the mature flowers are deer resistant.

The classic purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, is a member of the daisy family (Asteraceae). Fun fact: The genus name comes from the ancient Greek word echinos, for (take your pick) hedgehog or sea urchin. Spiky, definitely.

E. purpurea is native to the lower Midwest prairies. The plant grows up to 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide from a woody rhizome; clumps can be divided every four years or so. Native American tribes found the plant a source of medicinal ingredients, and echinacea is still used today in teas and herbal remedies.

Coneflowers are spectacular choices for pollinator gardens. Bees are especially attracted to the cones for pollen; butterflies such as the Gulf fritillary seek out the flowers for a nectar source. Before fall, stop deadheading the plant: lesser goldfinches and other birds appreciate the seeds from dried seed heads.

Red coneflowers — Coneflowers can provide a long-lasting
burst of color in the garden.

Hybridized coneflowers can be found in a range of colors, from white to yellow, gold, orange, coral, hot pink and red. "Double" flowering varieties are popular for flower arrangements but may be less valuable for pollinators.

California has native "coneflowers" but they are classified differently: The California coneflower (Rudbeckia californica) can grow up to 6 feet tall; it has a tall green cone and yellow flower petals. The western coneflower (Rudbeckia occidentalis) also can grow quite tall. The large cone has no petals, just green sepals. Both of these plants prefer moist soil and afternoon shade.

Echinacea, by contrast, works so well in Sacramento Valley gardens because it tolerates a range of soils, as long as the soil drains well. In hot areas the plant does benefit from some afternoon shade. Be sure that any young plant is well established before summer heat hits. Or wait to plant it until fall, when it can get a head start on putting down its taproot.

The plant will die back for winter, conserving energy in its roots. Leave any browning foliage, then cut it back in late winter or early spring before the plant breaks dormancy.

These cheerful plants are starting to bloom now, in June, and will continue producing flowers through late summer, which is certainly helpful for comparing colors while nursery shopping.

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FLIMBY Flowers in My Back Yard flowers spring June spring planting perennials garden color pollinator plants cut flowers summer flowers Sacramento gardening

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Flowers in My Back Yard Series

July 14: How to keep hydrangeas happy

July 7: Grow these bright cosmos for bees and butterflies

June 30: Agapanthus adds blue fireworks to the garden

June 23: Easy-care gazanias fill those hot corners

June 16: Daylilies are perfect for water-wise gardens (and a lot more)

June 9: Grow coneflowers for pollinators -- and yourself

June 2: Sunflowers capture Sacramento's summer attitude

May 29: Are your roses going 'blind'?

May 26: Zinnias are the summer flowers every garden needs

May 19: Plant dahlias now for late-summer flower power

May 12: Know your coreopsis from your bidens

May 5: Mums the word on Mother's Day weekend

April 28: Majestic Matilija poppy is worth a look

April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower

April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact

April 7: Calendulas do double duty

April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come

March 31: In praise of a pollinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)

March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots

March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums

March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come

March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy

Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?

Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come

Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers

Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses

Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?

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Garden checklist for week of July 19

Remember to water early and deeply; your garden depends on you.

* It’s not too late to add a splash of color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.

* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers.

* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.

* Water, then fertilize vegetables and blooming annuals, perennials and shrubs to give them a boost.

*Fertilizing flowering plants every other week will extend their bloom. Give vegetable plants bone meal or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting.

* Don’t let tomatoes wilt or dry out completely. Give tomatoes a deep watering two to three times a week. Harvest vegetables promptly to encourage plants to produce more. Squash especially tends to grow rapidly in hot weather. Keep an eye on zucchini.

* If your melons and squash aren’t setting fruit, give the bees a hand. With a small, soft paintbrush, gather some pollen from male flowers, then brush it inside the female flowers, which have a tiny swelling at the base of their petals. (That's the embryo melon or squash.) Within days, that little swelling should start growing.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.

* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.

* Pinch off blooms from basil so the plant will grow more leaves. New leaves have the best flavor.

* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.

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