Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower

Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea 'Cheyenne Spirit') is a fast-growing, sun-loving perennial that flowers in its first year and keeps going from summer into autumn. Each plant stands 50cm to 75cm tall, depending on flower colour, and spreads 30cm to 50cm. The twist is the colour mix, from orange, red and creamy yellow to pink and peach, and pollinators love every one.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers in the first year. Plants bloom in year one and flower better once they have been in place for a year or two.
• A colour mix, not a single shade. This selection ranges across orange, red, creamy yellow, pink and peach, and it has won both an All-America Selections award and a FleuroSelect Gold Medal.
• Pollinators and birds. Honeybees and butterflies work the flowers, and the seedheads feed birds in winter.
• Prairie toughness. Native to grassy plains with hot summers and snowy winters, it is very cold hardy and drought tolerant once mature.
• A good cut flower. Long stems suit a vase, and it earns its place in kitchen gardens, cottage beds and meadow plantings.

Where it works best

Mixed beds and borders. Plant 40cm apart in groups of three or five. Each plant bushes out to 30cm to 50cm wide, so the colours mingle without crowding.

Kitchen gardens. A few plants among the vegetables bring honeybees and butterflies to the patch, and it is not considered toxic to cats or dogs, which suits a family garden.

Meadow-style and cottage planting. Combine it with ornamental grasses and other sun-loving perennials for a loose, wildflower effect that peaks in summer.

Growing Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun and well-draining soil. It is very cold hardy, and in frosty gardens it dies back over winter and reshoots in spring. In humid subtropical summers it can be shorter lived, so choose an open, airy position.

Soil. Any well-draining soil suits it. Mulch after planting to hold moisture and keep the roots cool. Heavy, wet clay is the one thing it dislikes, so mound the bed if you are on clay.

Water and feed. Keep the water up for the first 12 weeks or so while the plant establishes, after which it is drought tolerant. A monthly liquid feed keeps the flowering season long.

Pruning. Remove early spent blooms to keep buds coming. Leave the last flowers as seedheads for the birds, then cut the stems back in late winter.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly, and in 140mm pots in packs of 10. Tubes are the economical way to fill a bed. The 140mm pots give you a stronger plant from day one.

Tube stock comes from our grower and is not always available. When the grower has none, the tube shows as sold out on this page, and the notify button emails you the day it is back.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Plants that attract bees and butterflies
• More flowering plants for borders
• How to create a cottage garden in Australia
• Frost hardy plants for cold gardens

Common questions

What colour will my plant be?

That is the fun of this selection. Each plant shows its colour at flowering, anywhere from orange, red and creamy yellow to pink and peach, and height varies with colour.

Should I deadhead or leave the seedheads?

Do both. Remove the early spent blooms to keep the flush going through summer, then leave the last flowers to ripen into seedheads that feed the birds in winter.

Does it come back every year?

Yes. It is a perennial, and it gets better once it has been in place for a year or two. In frosty gardens it dies back in winter and returns in spring.