How do you cut back the the perennial purple coneflower?

Question

I want them to grow more bushy and condensed. They are falling all over the place taking over my other flowers. This is my first time planting anything other than hostas. HELLLLPPP someone please. Also, being my first time with these plantings and being very much a novice with gardening, please know that I'm not very versed in plant terminology. I'm a visual person so if you can direct me to a instructional website that would be good too, Thank you,.

Answer 1

You can't really make a plant grow any other way it was designed to grow.  You can cut them back early on but then they will not flower.  Also purple coneflower are prolific seders so expect ALOT of baby plants comming up everywhere next year if you let your plants go to seed.

Answer 2

I used to grow Echinacea ( purple cone flower ) but haven't grown it in awhile.  I never cut them back until the frost killed them.  I would suggest rather than cutting them that you go to the garden center and get Peony rings, or sometimes they are called Peony stakes.  They are available just about anywhere that sells garden supplies.  Even WalMart had them this year.  It's a metal ring with three stakes attached that can slide anywhere around the ring.  The ring is made so that you can open it and slide it around the plant, adjust it and then sink the stakes into the ground.  It both supports the plant and keeps it contained.  I am using them right now for my Queen Anne's Lace.  It would be all over the sidewalk if I didn't have it contained.

Here's a pic so you can see what they look like:

http://www.homedepot.ca/wcsstore/HomeDep...

Answer 3

if they are floppy, they're needing more sunlight...did you plant them in 'full sun'?.... like all day sun?...... they should be tall and stiff and hard to bend!!.... leave them  so the birds can get the seeds and help drop the new seeds, too, so you get more plants next year!!.... don't cut them until spring... the top stuff helps protect the new little plants at the base of the old ones by grabbing passing leaves to cover them....

you probably also only planted a few plants, yes?... give them time, they'll spread jsut dandy!.... and more plants help hold each other up straight, too!...

keep them hands dirty!!.. knees, too!