How to Plant Sun-Loving Wildflower Root Divisions

When to plant: As soon as your roots arrive; spring before growth begins is ideal, and fall deliveries go in straight away
Depth: Crown no more than 1–2 inches below the soil surface
Spacing: 18–24 inches apart
Sun: Full sun, at least 6 hours
Water: Check once or twice a week through the first season and water when the soil around the roots is dry
Soil: Well-drained, dry to medium; no rich amendments needed

Step by step

Open the package the day it arrives. The roots should be firm and slightly damp. If you can't plant within a day or two, keep them somewhere cool but not freezing, around 40°F.
Just before planting, soak the roots in a bucket of water for 30–60 minutes.
Choose a spot in full sun with soil that drains well. Coneflowers and their neighbors prefer dry to medium soil and don't need it rich.
Dig each hole 2–2½ times wider than the spread of the roots, and mound a little soil in the middle to drape the roots over.
Set the plant so its crown, where roots meet stem, sits no more than 1–2 inches below the soil surface.
Backfill, firm gently, water well, and space plants 18–24 inches apart so each has room to fill out.
Wait at least four weeks before feeding, because young roots burn easily. New growth usually appears within 2–4 weeks, depending on the weather.

Good to know

Expect a quiet, leafy first year, real growth in year two and a full show by year three. Butterfly weed comes up late in spring, often long after everything else; mark it so you don't dig there. It has a deep taproot and resents moving, so plant it where it can stay. Trumpet creeper is a vigorous vine, not a border plant. Give it a sturdy support and 6–12 feet of room where you can mow around it; it suckers from underground runners. The sap can irritate skin.

Warm climates

Most plants here are rated through zone 8 or 9. Once established, coneflowers and their neighbors tolerate heat and drought; the first summer is the risky stretch. In hot climates, fall planting gives roots a head start before heat arrives. Through the first hot spell, water more often than the once-or-twice-a-week check, and don't water coneflowers overhead; wet leaves invite disease.

After bloom

Deadhead for more repeat blooms, or leave the last flush of seed heads standing to feed goldfinches and other birds through fall and winter. Cut old stems down any time from late fall to early spring, before new shoots push through. Divide coneflower clumps every 3–4 years, in spring or fall, to keep them from crowding.

Step by step

After bloom

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