Why is it that I am having such trouble growing Echinacea?

Echinacea
Why is it that I am having such trouble growing Echinacea? Isn’t that one of the easiest of the North American natives to grow? Isn’t it practically a weed in some areas? My yard is a notorious killer of many things, but even Echinacea? Is there a trick I am missing?

My native soil is clay, but most of my beds are either amended with organic material or raised and filled with good soil. I'm in Zone 5, with hot summers and cold winters.

When are you planting them? Even the toughest plants will sometimes have a really hard time getting going if you plant them in the summer or too late in the spring where they don't have time to get established before hot weather hits.

Do you think you could be over watering them? Young plants need to be watered until they are established. Once they are growing well, they will thrive on the available moisture from rain except in extremely dry areas. Are you in the desert? Then this wouldn't apply. I do know that if they get too much moisture, they will die. I am in zone 5 too, and they over winter with no problems.

Overwatering is definitely a common cause of plant death, but I also wonder if they're not getting enough water--they need more water than a lot of xeriscape plants, so depending on what other sorts of things you have in your garden they may need more water than the others. Not that they need a ton, but in a desert climate if you're growing a lot of xeriscape stuff you may find they're a little bit thirstier than some of your other plants.

I'm assuming you're starting with plants, not seeds? As stated above, small plants that are trying to get established need more water. I started with one coneflower plant and let it reseed itself. Now I move the volunteers to other places where I want them. I do move them early in the spring though which is easier on them. But I found a white one late this year that I just "had to have." I planted it in a western exposure and I'm really having to baby it along with lot's of extra water but it's surviving very well. Do check to make sure you're not having a water issue. Too much usually produces yellow leaves and too little should cause the plant to wilt. If it's a young plant, you may have to rig up some sort of shade for it until it gets well established. If it's real dry in your area, mulch would help too.

People often say that echinacea is very easy to grow, but I've had some pretty fussy echies, myself. Don't feel bad; not every plant is ideally suited to every area, and you're still learning how it will behave for you, and what it likes and doesn't like.

There are already some great suggestions here, from some very knowledgeable gardeners, so I wouldn't presume to add much. I will say that, when starting young echinaceas, I've had plants that looked like they were having a near-death experience and I've had good luck with cutting them back, keeping them watered, and waiting for new growth. It has always rejuvenated them for me. I usually don't end up with flowers, but because the plant hasn't put a lot of energy into flowering and setting seeds, I have a healthier plant next year.