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Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' (purple coneflower)

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Technical sheet - Echinacea

Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'

purple coneflower

Named by Klaus Jelitto of Jelitto Staudensamen (Perennial Seeds) in Germany, for Swedish nurseryman Magnus Nilsson, who carefully selected for ten years, looking for fine form, dark hue, and very horizontal petals. A tall, coarse plant with large, dark green leaves and a large, 3-4" flower with broad hot pink to purple petals that surround a brown/bronze cone. Plants are tough and heat and drought tolerant once established. Their roots have famous medicinal qualities, they make great, long lasting cut flowers and attract numerous butterflies and small birds.

SIZE
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Height

2-3 Feet

Spread

12-18 Inches

Spacing

12 Inches

Bloom Color

Violet

USDA Hardiness Zone 3-8

purple coneflower Interesting Notes

The Perennial Plant Association's 1998 Perennial Plant of the Year™

'Magnus' was introduced by Jelitto Perennial Seeds in 1985.

Ranging from Texas to New York, Echinacea purpurea can be found in moist prairies, meadows and open woods. As popular as they are in the landscape, coneflower is uncommon in the wild. They prefer full sun in fertile well-drained soil but one of the best features of Echinacea is the way it is able to tolerate drought, clay, high heat and humidity, part sun, and poor soils.

The flowers of coneflower provide multiple seasons of interest from summer while it blooms to fall and winter where the great seedheads are upright and structural. Butterflies and bees love the nectar of the flowers and goldfinches can’t help but flock to the seeds during the fall. While trialing ‘Green Twister’, we found the plant began flowering reliably by the first season of growth and was disease and pest resistant. Full growth at 3 years would provide a lovely, long lasting show and colorful flowers great for cutting.

Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' Growing and Maintenance Tips

Echinacea take a wide array of conditions from average dry soil to medium, well-drained soil in part shade to full sun. Plant flowers best in full sun. Low-maintenance and tolerates drought, humidity, heat, poor soil. Resistant to pest and disease but sometimes suspectible to aster yellows disease. To encourage longer bloom time, flower heads can be deadheaded but not necessary. Seedheads are a delightful source of food for birds. To propagate, divide clump in the spring every 4 years. Root cuttings are also successful. Propagation by seed does not usually come true to type. 

Good Substitutions

yellow coneflower Echinacea paradoxa
purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea 'Mellow Yellows'
coneflower Echinacea purpurea
purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea

Key Characteristics & Attributes

Full Sun
Full Sun
Part Sun
Part Sun
Songbird-friendly
Songbird-friendly
Pollinator-friendly
Pollinator-friendly
Deer Resistant
Deer Resistant
Hummingbird-friendly
Hummingbird-friendly
Salt Tolerance
Salt Tolerance
Drought Tolerant
Drought Tolerant
Cut Flower
Cut Flower
Summer
Summer

Additional Information

Soil Moisture Needs
Average
Dry
Green Infrastructure
Green Roof
Plug Type
Horticultural Plug
Attributes
Edible
Native to North America
Clay Tolerance
Season of Interest (Flowering)
Late Summer
Propagation Type
Seed cultivar