Gray - Headed Coneflower

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!