How to Plant, Grow, and Care For PowWow® ‘Wild Berry’ Coneflowers

Coneflowers are a beautiful addition to the garden and are excellent for attracting wildlife. Add some PowWow 'Wild Berry' coneflowers to your garden for an extra bright pop of purple that lasts all summer! Gardening expert Melissa Strauss goes over how to grow and care for this fun hybrid.

Coneflowers, or Echinacea, are sturdy and beautiful perennials with daisy-like flowers. Their spiky cones provide an ample supply of nectar for pollinators, and their seed heads make excellent food for overwintering birds and other small animals.

Their attractive flowers, paired with their long blooming season and pollinator appeal, make these a staple for many gardeners. While the most common color for these flowers is purple, some cultivars bloom in shades of yellow, pink, white, and orange.

PowWow® ‘Wild Berry’ Coneflow
What Is PowWow® ‘Wild Berry’ Coneflower?
PowWow® ‘Wild Berry’ is a hybrid coneflower known for its extra intense color, compact size, and reliable blooming habit. Developed by PanAm Seed Co., this variety is a hybrid, but it’s bred from the Echinacea purpurea species. It’s still considered a hybrid, as it has been bred for specific traits, such as vivid color and vigorous growth.

Characteristics
PowWow® ‘Wild Berry’ is a flowering perennial with vibrant magenta flowers that are brighter and more saturated than those of its parent species, Echinacea purpurea. The flowers are three to four inches across and begin blooming in early summer in most climates, but they may start to bloom earlier in warm climates.

The lovely purple petals surround a spiky cone at the center. The cone of this cultivar is bold, coppery-orange. It’s shorter than most standard varieties, reaching a height of around 20 inches, making it a great border option. It also works well in containers.


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The foliage is standard for the genus. Lance-shaped leaves are deep green with a rough texture. The leaves are evenly spaced along strong, slender stems. They make fabulous cut flowers. When it comes to attracting pollinators, these will do the job splendidly.

Native Area
Echinacea purpurea, the parent species, is native to most of the Eastern and Central United States, and north into Canada. It grows in meadows, prairies, and open wooded areas. It’s a versatile and adaptable plant that can grow in most soil types and climates.

Planting
Because this variety is compact, it makes a great container plant. It’s also lovely in borders or mixed beds, and in pollinator gardens. You can plant seedlings in spring or fall. Wait until after the last frost in spring, or plant at least six weeks before the first frost in fall.
How to Grow
PowWow® ‘Wild Berry’ coneflowers are not challenging to grow. The plants are adaptable and flexible in their environment and care requirements. These are one of the easiest perennials for gardeners of all levels, even beginners shouldn’t have trouble with them.
Maintenance
While you may want to cut back your coneflowers in the fall to avoid the look of dead stems and leaves in the garden, it’s best for wildlife to leave them intact.

Birds will feed on the dried seed heads over the winter. Just mulch around them to insulate the roots and leave the rest until spring. In the spring, cut back all the dead foliage to make way for the new growth.

Deadheading your plants through the growing season will keep them flowering more prolifically. If you want to leave the seed heads for birds or harvest seeds in the fall, leave some flowers intact as the season comes to a close.
Propagation
It’s easy to grow coneflowers from seeds, but as I mentioned, PowWow® ‘Wild Berry’ is a hybrid, and there is no guarantee that the seeds will breed true to form. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it, only that the new plants may not have all the same characteristics. If you want a clone of the plant you have, the best ways to propagate are by division and root cuttings.

Note that it is illegal to sell propagules from this cultivar as it is trademarked.