Do coneflowers really take a long time to bloom?

[RomanAnthonysMama]

I just find coneflowers so beautiful, and I'm interested in planting them when the season comes, but I've heard they take awhile to bloom. If you have them in your garden, how long did they take to bloom for you? I would love to plant them, but living in New England, I wonder if we even have enough sunlight year-round for them to grow here?

 

[galmal]

I don't know about New England, but in Virginia and Tennessee (zone 7) coneflowers are great. If you buy a mature plant, they should bloom the first season. I don't know how long they take if you plant them from seed. The really great thing about coneflowers is they have a really long bloom period compared to other perennials. I remember when I planted my first garden, I went to the nursery and asked if there were any perennials that bloomed all summer, and while the answer was no, coneflowers were what they recommended - they're also easy to grow and care for. I'd say definitely give them a try.

 

[Jewell]

Coneflowers do need full sun. I lost several plants when a tree started shading them during the summer. They bloom most of the summer and the old flowers last a very long time. I believe the seeds need a few weeks of freezing weather in order to sprout. The newer varieties haven't been as hardy/long-lived for me as the old pinkish purple varieties.

 

[Everbrown]

We have Purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) here in Northern Ct and they do just fine (more then my wife likes ) and they initially were in a shady spot which didn't bother them at all. Come back every year also, plus seed spillage from finchs and Chickadees ensures some new plants on occasion I would think you could find them in perennial section at nursery and would likely bloom this year.