How to Grow Echinacea From Seed to Harvest

Echinacea

Overview

Echinacea is the purple coneflower you see in flower beds everywhere. It’s also the name on a lot of tincture bottles at the co-op. Most growing guides stop once it blooms. This one goes on to the harvest.

Here’s the short version:

1. Grow E. purpurea if you’re new or growing in a pot. Its seed usually sprouts without a cold treatment.
2. E. angustifolia seed needs a few months of cold first. The seed section explains how.
3. Flowers and leaves are ready from the second summer. Roots come in the fall of year two to four. Year three is a safe default.

By the second summer, you’ll have flowers and leaves to dry for tea. Meanwhile, the roots keep growing for later. Growing your own also means fewer small bottles to buy.

Wild echinacea is on United Plant Savers’ At-Risk list, so a garden patch also spares the wild plants. E. purpurea grows happily on the same sunny patio as the five easy herbs in our start-your-garden guide, which covers pots, potting mix, and watering for a first herb garden.

E. purpurea or E. angustifolia: which echinacea to grow

Both are grown for herbal use. They just behave very differently in the garden.

A third species, pale coneflower (E. pallida), is also grown for herbal use. Like angustifolia, its seed needs cold.

Grow the straight species, not the fancy hybrids. Garden centers sell coneflowers in orange, red, and double forms. Those are bred for color, and some lack the vigor and hardiness of the wild species (University of Kentucky Extension).

To tell them apart, check the label. Look for the botanical name with no name in quotes after it. “Echinacea purpurea” is the species. “Echinacea purpurea ‘PowWow Wild Berry’” is a named garden variety, not the species.

Where to plant echinacea

Starting from seed? Read the next section before winter, because angustifolia seed needs a head start.

Give echinacea full sun and soil that drains fast. E. angustifolia wants lean, deep ground that never stays wet. E. purpurea is more forgiving and tolerates clay, sand, and rocky soil.

Think ahead to the root harvest. Roots are easier to dig from a raised bed or loose soil, so a raised bed suits echinacea well.

Echinacea doesn’t compete well with weeds, especially in its first year. Keep the bed weeded and mulched until the plants fill in. Want to skip the seed stage? Buy a nursery plant of a straight species, using the label check above.

How to grow echinacea from seed

Do echinacea seeds need cold stratification?

Cold stratification means keeping seeds cold and damp for a while. It mimics winter and wakes up seeds that won’t sprout otherwise.

E. purpurea usually doesn’t need it. It sprouts in about 10 to 20 days without cold (Manitoba Agriculture). A few weeks of cold can still help a stubborn batch.

E. angustifolia and E. pallida do need it. Sources range from about four weeks to three months. Plan on two to three months, and you’re covered either way.

How to cold stratify echinacea seeds

Hands-on time is about 10 minutes.

1. Mix the seed with a handful of damp sand or peat. Or fold it into a damp paper towel.
2. Seal it in a labeled zip-top bag. Put it in the fridge, at about 40°F, for the cold period above.
3. Optional for angustifolia: soak the seed in water for 24 hours just before sowing, as Manitoba Agriculture suggests.

There’s nothing to watch during the cold period. Write the start date on the bag and sow when the time is up.

When to start: count back from your last frost

First, find your area’s average last spring frost date. Your local extension office can tell you.

• E. purpurea: sow indoors about 10 weeks before your last frost.
• E. angustifolia: start the cold period five to five and a half months before your last frost. That gives two to three months of cold. Sow indoors when it ends, about 10 weeks before your last frost. For most people, that means starting in late fall.

Missed the window, or don’t want seeds in the fridge? Sow outdoors in fall and let winter do the cold treatment for you. That’s the easiest route for angustifolia.

Sowing and planting out

1. Press the seed onto the surface of damp seed-starting mix, or cover it very lightly. Light helps it sprout.
2. Keep the tray warm, around 70°F. Seedlings usually show up within three weeks.
3. Once seedlings have their first true leaves, harden them off. Set them outside a few hours a day for a week.
4. Plant out after your last spring frost, 12 to 24 inches apart.

Dividing clumps and letting it self-sow

Already have a plant? Dig and divide the clump in spring every few years. You can also take root cuttings in autumn (NC State Extension). E. purpurea reseeds itself, so a few seed heads left standing can give you free plants.

Growing echinacea in pots

Yes, you can grow echinacea in a pot. Depth is what matters most.

• E. purpurea: a pot at least 12 inches deep and wide.
• E. angustifolia: about 24 inches deep, for its long taproot.

Every pot needs drainage holes. Fill it with a light, fast-draining mix, like the potting mix recipe in our start-your-garden guide.

Pick a heavy pot, since tall flower stems can tip over a light one. Pots dry out faster than garden beds. Check with your finger, and water when the top inch feels dry.

Winter is the tricky part. Roots in a pot get much colder than roots in the ground (UMass Extension).

After the plant goes dormant, and before the ground freezes, sink the pot into a garden bed. Or move it somewhere sheltered. Lift it again in spring. A bigger pot also helps the roots ride out the cold.

Plants eventually outgrow their pots. When that happens, repot or divide. At harvest time, a pot has one perk: you just tip it out instead of digging.

Watering and seasonal care

Water seedlings and new transplants regularly until they settle in. Once established, purpurea handles occasional dry spells well. Never leave echinacea in soggy soil, in a bed or a pot.

At season’s end, cut the stems back to 12 to 24 inches and leave them standing over winter. Native bees nest in the hollow stems (NC State Extension).

Watch for aster yellows

Aster yellows is a plant disease spread by tiny leafhoppers. Look for yellowing leaves and odd, clustered flower heads that never bloom properly. There’s no cure. Pull out the whole plant, roots and all (University of Illinois Extension), and don’t harvest from it.

You can’t really control the leafhoppers at home. Keeping weeds down helps, because weeds can carry the disease (Iowa State Extension).

Harvesting and drying echinacea

What you can harvest depends on how old the plant is. Here’s the harvest calendar:

When to harvest echinacea flowers and leaves for tea

Pick on a dry morning, once the dew is gone and before the day gets hot. Cut flowers as they open into full bloom (Manitoba Agriculture). If you want leaves too, take a few from the upper stem. As with any perennial, leave most of the leaves so the plant keeps growing.

Spread your harvest on a screen to dry, as in our guide to drying herbs. Then brew it with our hot infusion guide. Skip the tea if you’re allergic to daisy-family plants. Read the safety notes first if you have an immune condition, take any medicine, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are brewing it for a child (safety notes).

When to harvest echinacea root

Dig roots in fall, in the year shown in the harvest calendar above, after a few hard frosts. Fall roots hold less moisture than spring roots (Manitoba Agriculture). Extension guides range from two to four years. E. angustifolia grows slowly and stays small, so give it three to four years.

1. Loosen the soil in a wide circle around the plant. The angustifolia taproot runs deep, so dig wide and deep.
2. Lift the root ball. To keep the plant going, cut off part of the clump and replant the rest (see dividing).
3. Shake off the loose soil.

How to dry echinacea root

Washing and slicing takes most of an hour per plant.

1. Trim and wash the roots right away.
2. Slice them into ¼-inch pieces while they’re fresh. Dried root is very hard to cut.
3. Dry the slices low and slow, with good airflow. Our drying guide gives oven and dehydrator settings.

The root is dry when the pieces snap cleanly instead of bending. Store them in a labeled glass jar with a tight lid ad in a dark cupboard. For how long dried herbs keep, see our drying guide.

Once the root is dry, you can simmer it into a decoction or make a tincture. The same cautions apply to the root. Skip it if you’re allergic to daisy-family plants, and read the safety notes first if you have an immune condition, take any medicine, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are making it for a child. A tincture is made with alcohol, which can be a dangerous poison for children, so store it out of their sight and reach (safety notes).

Traditional uses

People mostly buy echinacea as a supplement for colds. According to NCCIH, taking it “may slightly reduce your chances of catching a cold.” It’s still unclear whether it shortens one.

In Europe, pale coneflower (E. pallida) root is listed as a traditional herbal medicine for common cold symptoms. That status rests on long use, not on clinical proof. It applies to licensed products, not to home preparations.

Parts used

The root is the part most prized in commercial echinacea products. Flowers and leaves are used too. See the harvest calendar above for when each part is ready.

Common preparations

All three are taken by mouth, so the same cautions cover each one. Don’t use echinacea if you’re allergic to ragweed, daisies, marigolds or other daisy-family plants. Reactions can be severe.

The European monograph advises against it if you have an autoimmune disease, a weakened immune system or a white blood cell disease, or take immune-suppressing medicine. If you’re having chemotherapy, ask your care team first. If you tend toward allergies, eczema or asthma, ask your doctor first. Not enough is known about use in pregnancy or breastfeeding, so talk to your doctor first then too.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using any echinacea preparation, especially alongside a medicine. Always check with your pediatrician before giving it to a child (safety notes).

• Tea/infusion: dried flowers and leaves, steeped in hot water. Skip it with a daisy-family allergy. Stomach upset is the most common side effect (safety notes). (See our guide to hot infusions.)
• Decoction: dried root, simmered because roots are tough. Skip it with a daisy-family allergy. The monograph also advises against it with the immune conditions listed above (safety notes). (See our guide to decoctions.)
• Tincture: dried root steeped in alcohol. Skip it with a daisy-family allergy, and ask your doctor or pharmacist first if you take any medicine. Alcohol can be a dangerous poison for children, so store tinctures out of their sight and reach (safety notes). (See our guide to tinctures.)

Companion and garden notes

Echinacea is a pollinator magnet. Bees and butterflies work the flowers all summer, and goldfinches eat the seeds in fall. Deer tend to leave it alone.

It pairs well with calendula, another sun-lover. Both belong to the daisy family, so the same allergy caution applies to each (safety notes).

Safety notes

Daisy-family allergy: If you’re allergic to ragweed, daisies, marigolds, or other daisy-family plants, don’t use echinacea (European herbal monograph). Allergic reactions can be severe (NCCIH).

Allergy-prone people: If you tend toward allergies, eczema, or asthma, ask your doctor before using echinacea (European herbal monograph).

Immune conditions: The European monograph advises against echinacea if you have an autoimmune disease or a weakened immune system. The same goes if you take immune-suppressing medicine. It also advises against it for leukemia and other white blood cell diseases, and for other progressive illnesses that affect the whole body. If you’re having chemotherapy, ask your care team first (MSKCC).

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: Not enough is known. Talk to your doctor first (MSKCC).

Children: The European monograph doesn’t recommend echinacea for children under 12, because there isn’t enough data. NCCIH calls short-term use of purpurea extract “possibly safe” for children, but some children in a study developed rashes. Talk to your pediatrician before giving it to a child.

Side effects and medicines: Stomach upset is the most common side effect. Echinacea may interact with some medicines. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking it with any medicine (NCCIH).

Alcohol: Tinctures are made with alcohol. “Alcohol can be a dangerous poison for children,” and Poison Control advises keeping “alcohol-containing products out of sight and reach” (Poison Control). That page doesn’t name tinctures. Applying the same storage advice to them is our recommendation.

Labels: Buy seeds and plants by botanical name, using the label check in the species section above.

Echinacea asks for patience, not skill. Plant it once, and it gives you flowers by the second summer and roots for years after that.

Planning the rest of your bed or patio? Start your first medicinal herb garden.

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