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Gray - Headed Coneflower

Ratibida pinnata

Sale price $4633 Regular price $5605
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Plant Sentry™

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Delivery and Shipping

Delivery and Shipping

Fast, Safe Plant Delivery
Ships in 3-4 business days • Tracking provided • Weather protected

Under $50 $9.99
$50 - $99.99 $14.99
$100 - $149.99 $16.99
$150 - $198.99 $24.99
$199+ FREE

✓ Zone-specific timing • ✓ Professional packaging • ✓ Health guarantee

Plant Profile & Growing Essentials

Cold hardy, Native, Low Maintenance, Flowering, Deer-resistant, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts pollinators, Heat Tolerant, and Drought resistant

Specifications

  • Botanical Name
    Ratibida pinnata
  • Height
    3-5 ft
  • Width
    1-2 ft
  • Growing Zones
    3-8
  • Sunlight
    • Full sun
  • Growth Rate
    Moderate
  • Flower Color
    • Yellow
  • Leaf Color
    • Green
  • Native
    Yes
  • Pollinator Friendly
    Yes
  • Bloom Period
    Late Summer, Early Fall
  • Does Not Ship To
    AK, HI, ID, MT

Planting & Care Instructions

Where to Plant

  • Sunlight: This plant requires full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct light daily. While it can tolerate light afternoon shade, the stems may become floppy and bloom production will decrease without adequate brightness.
  • Soil: It thrives in almost any soil, including heavy clay or dry sand. If you have very dense clay, mix in a handful of organic compost at planting to help the young roots penetrate the soil more easily.

Watering Requirements

For the first growing season, water twice a week to help the deep taproot establish itself in its new home. Once mature, this prairie native is exceptionally drought tolerant and usually only needs supplemental water during weeks of extreme heat. Avoid overwatering or keeping the soil soggy, as this often leads to weak growth and smaller flower heads.

Pruning Tips

Gray-Headed Coneflowers bloom on new wood produced during the current growing season. In late winter or very early spring, cut the dead stems back to about 2 inches above the ground to make room for fresh green shoots. Think of this like a yearly reset that keeps the plant looking tidy and vigorous. Many gardeners choose to leave the seed heads standing until spring to provide a natural winter bird feeder.

Fertilizer Needs

This plant is a light feeder and prefers lean soil over rich conditions. Apply a light application of balanced, slow release fertilizer just once in early spring as new growth begins to emerge. You should avoid using high nitrogen fertilizers late in the summer. Excessive nitrogen causes the plant to produce lush foliage that is too soft to survive the first hard frost of winter.

Pretty rockets of yellow with gray raised cones, the Gray-Headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) the backward-reaching blooms, and elongated centers seem to be trying to take off into the stratosphere! The coarse, scratchy green leaves form clumps 18-24 inches wide but shooting skywards nearly 5 feet in height!

Flowering from June through August, these long-lasting blooms are highly sought-after by pollinators and beneficial insects. You'll have plenty of blooms to choose from for bouquets and wild-flower arrangements. Once the flowers go to seed, they become songbird-friendly food and forage through the autumn and winter!

Also spelled, Grayheaded Coneflower and known as Grayhead Mexican Hat, and Prairie Coneflowers, these vivid flowering perennials handle a wide range of environments throughout USDA growing zones 3 through 8. The multi-branched clumps feature loads of long-lasting blooms to brighten the sun garden!

Planting and Application:

A native clump-forming perennial, Gray-Headed Coneflowers are low-moisture needs perennials! Plant them in the rocky, sandy locations that tend to be drought-prone and even fire-prone. Those being Xeric landscaping, Rock Gardens, and those hell strips along sidewalks, driveways, and along the road. The bright yellow drooping petals certainly stand out!

Just as lovely in drier Cottage Gardens and mixed perennial borders, mixing happily with other wildflowers, native plantings, prairie restoration areas, and native grasses. Sunny landscapes gain bright and tall height in the back of the border, or as groupings that enliven pollinator borders and summer flowering displays. After the birds have had their fill, cut all plant debris down in the late winter. No worry that deer or rabbits will damage these natives!

  • Bright Yellow Drooping Petals & Raised Grayish Central Cones
  • Coarse Green Leaves & Tall Flowering Stems
  • Long-Lasting Pollinator-Friendly Blooms For Bouquets
  • Fire-Wise & Drought-Tolerant Native Perennials
  • Garden & Borders, Backdrops & Tall Summer-Long Color

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Incredibly low-maintenance, Coneflowers need full sun and well-drained soil locations! Adaptable to any type of environment except soggy and shade, these herbaceous perennials handle harsh conditions with ease. Water regularly at first, but once established, Ratibida become very drought tolerant and deer resistant. Deadhead the earliest blooms that fade to encourage rebloom until autumn, but leave later emerging flowers to develop into seeds for songbirds like Goldfinch and Sparrows.

  • Full Sun Perennial
  • Hardy Adaptable to Any Well-Drained Soil
  • Moderate to Low Moisture Needs
  • Prune Late Winter/Early Spring
  • Deer Resistant & Pest/Disease Free

Bright shooting stars rocketing towards the sky, the Gray-Headed Coneflower is just the bright bloom your summer beds and borders need! Order now at Nature Hills!

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