Growing the Yellow Coneflower

When you have the opportunity to see the long slender stems of the yellow coneflower standing four feet tall in a meadow, they certainly leave a lasting impression. These flowers are rigid, delicate, peculiar yet beautiful all rolled into one.

The leaves are quite irregular and often overlooked since they only grow near the stem's bottom. The flowers are daisy-like, perched tall on the end of the stem. They are made up of around 13 drooping, extra-large yellow florets that are reaching for the ground.

The yellow coneflower has a bizarre head that is gray while the flower is young but will turn brown so many people mistake them for brown-eyed Susans. They bloom quite late in the summer for about two months and have little fragrance unless you crush the seeds which smell of anise.

The yellow coneflower is capable of growing in dry or moist soils, clay prairies, thickets, woodland borders, limestone glades and along railroads. They are pretty much the happiest in the most undesirable environment.

Any wildflower garden is ideal for the yellow coneflower because they grow incredibly easy and they are a stunning sight, casually blowing in the wind. The last thing you want to do is fuss over these plants because if you do, the flowers will literally flop. This means no fertilizer! Once these plants are established, new seedlings will grow from the preceding crop.

Insects

The yellow coneflower is a magnet for green metallic bees, large leaf cutting bees, epeoline cuckoo bees, halictine bees, wasps, beetles, flies and butterflies. Caterpillars from the wavy-lined emerald butterfly and silvery checkerspot butterfly families love to feed on the yellow coneflower.

Additionally, the seeds are eaten by goldfinches and your groundhog friends will enjoy the foliage and stems. The yellow coneflower is not harmful to any animals, birds or insects!