Virgin Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea 'Virgin')
eh-kih-NAY-shah per-per-EE-ah 'Virgin'

Deciduous Perennial in the Asteraceae Family
 
Buy Virgin Purple Coneflower
Size Notes Price Availability
#1 gallon Field $19.02 Likely available
11/1 - 11/8
1/24 - 4/4

Purple Coneflower is a native North American herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae (daisy) family, found wild in prairies, meadows, and open woods across the central and eastern US. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall, producing large (up to 5in) pinkish-purple daisy-type flowers with a spiny, raised center cone -- the genus name Echinacea comes from the Greek for hedgehog, echinos, after that cone's bristly texture. Flowers bloom from early summer into fall and are a major pollinator draw; leaving the spent flower heads standing through winter feeds seed-eating birds like goldfinches. This is the parent species behind hundreds of modern coneflower cultivars, most bred for flower color well outside the species' own purple-pink range.

Pros

  • Long summer-to-fall bloom that's a strong draw for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators
  • Deer resistant and tolerant of heat, drought, and poor soil once established
  • Seed heads feed goldfinches and other birds over winter if left standing
  • Low-maintenance, true native species well-suited to a Chicago-area prairie or pollinator garden

Cons

  • Can self-seed aggressively in loose or disturbed soil
  • Won't thrive in deep shade or consistently wet soil
  • Named cultivars generally don't come true from seed, so seedlings from a cultivar often revert toward the species' plain purple-pink
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 18 - 24 inches tall. 12 - 18 inches wide.
Moisture Tolerance Dry - Medium
Zones 3a - 8b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Pollinators, Attracts Wildlife, Container, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Dry, Extended Bloom Time, Formal Garden, Full Sun, Good for Beginners, Good for Butterfly Garden, Good for Cottage Garden, Good for Cut Flowers, Good for Rain Garden, Low Maintenance, Medium, Most Popular, Nativar, Normal Soil, Perennial, Popular For Fall, Prairie Garden, Rabbit Resistant, Showy Flowers, Tolerant of Moist Soil, Tolerant of Poor Soil, Well-Drained Soil, Winter Interest
Bloom Period June to August
Flower Color White With Green Center Cone
 

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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 04/13 - 09/20
2024 : 05/01 - 09/21
2023 : 05/04 - 09/30

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!