Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)

Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)

Pale Purple Coneflower brings a delicate, windswept quality to the summer garden. Its narrow, reflexed petals, ranging from soft pink to lavender, droop gracefully from prominent orange cones, giving it a looser, wilder look than the more commonly planted Echinacea purpurea. The long flower stems sway with the breeze and rise from a low clump of rough, lance-shaped leaves that stay fairly inconspicuous, allowing the flowers to float above the rest of the planting.

In southeastern Wisconsin, Echinacea pallida prefers full sun and well-drained soils, and it excels in dry, open prairies or garden beds that mimic those conditions. It’s an easy, reliable bloomer and a great early-season coneflower, with flowers beginning 2–3 weeks earlier than E. purpurea. When grown together, the two species stretch the echinacea bloom window for months. 

Growing Conditions
Light: Full sun
Soil: Dry to medium, well-drained soil; tolerates clay and sandy soils
Height: 2–3 feet
Spread: 1–1.5 feet
Zones: 3–8
Bloom time: June through July

Wildlife Value
A magnet for native bees and butterflies, with large, open blooms that provide easy access to nectar and pollen. Goldfinches and other songbirds feed on the seed heads in fall and winter, especially if left standing. A strong structural plant for insect and bird-friendly designs.

Blooms Alongside:
Ohio Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis), Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus), Prairie Coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata), Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya), Prairie Cinquefoil (Drymocallis arguta)