I'll try that Cheyene Spirit mix, thanks for the tip!

I miss my "Now Cheesier".

All I have left are PowWow White and White Angel.

I figure I'll make a mix of half sand 1/2 Scott's Top Soil and put it in a mound atop a couple inches of plain sand.....

Does that sound promising?
What do I need (and how much) to amend the top soil with?

When I am planting them I add 2 large handfuls of sand to the soil. a 50 \50 mix sounds like it might be to much. I have never used Scott's topsoil so do not know how it is.

I just filled my raised bed in with mulch. I added cheap potting soil with perlite to the hole. To me the perlite is easier because it is not as heavy as sand and the drainage is awesome. Also it is cheap. (Do not inhale the dust!!!)

The stuff we get here and the stuff you get there might be different depending on the distribution center and where it is manufactured. The Scotts top soil that comes in here is nasty. It has rocks and crazy mess in there. Bad reviews, but I see that people in other states love the stuff and brag about it.

When I plant anything in this clay I add household compost mixed with soil from the hole.
The first year I used cheap potting soil and compost mixed. It was really worthwhile as there is a deeper layer of good soil in the garden. I just have to navigate rocks in certain places.

The Scott's Topsoil I just brought home is even better than what I got last year.
It seems more like compost to me - there are small sticks and more semi whole organic matter in there than before.

What about vermiculite instead of perlite? I know where to get vermiculite.

What fertilizer should I buy when I go for the vermiculite?

I never have used store bought fertilizer of any kind.

No, not vermiculite, it holds water. I add a little 10-10-10 with the potting soil when I pot them but nothing else except a little milorganite. I was thinking about a little bone meal in the fall to help the roots. Usually I just give everything a spray of Miracle Grow when I do the Hostas in the fall. I think Bob uses a little bone-meal when he plants his. I always forget. I need to go toss some on my dahlias and lilies.

Home Depot carries perlite .
I would not add much compost to soil it retains moisture.
They are light feeders so I only give a handful of bonemeal to established plants.
When first planting I use Quick Start transplant solution.

How you amend the soil depends on what you're starting with. Perlite and vermiculite will break down and compress over time. Gravel or expanded shale will not. I sometimes use the expanded shale. Adding sand can make clay worse if you don't add enough of it. Mostly I add my homemade compost. More recent information suggests that mixing in compost to the planting hole is counterproductive (bathtub effect), but that hasn't been my experience in gardening here for 30 years. IMO the more compost the better.

"Don't let it flower after September"... just want to clarify. I think you folks are talking about new plants and first flowers, right? I let my established coneflowers bloom and set seed thru fall so they begin dormancy.

Old fashioned purple coneflowers are definitely the toughest I have.

Karen

I agree, Karen. My husband put so much compost in the vegetable garden over 20 years, that since it's been converted to a flower garden I have lush plants and I'm thankful for all of his hard work.

My old Bravado echinaceas are also my strongest. While other varieties have come and gone, it's Bravado that pulls through and blooms until frost.

Yes, the new ones really need time to get strong. I lost about ten my first year. LOL.

kqcrna said:"Don't let it flower after September"... just want to clarify. I think you folks are talking about new plants and first flowers, right? I let my established coneflowers bloom and set seed thru fall so they begin dormancy.

Oh please clarify this for me! I have 2 plants that overwintered in their pots sunk into the soil. They both have buds now. I will be able to plant them properly in early July.

LEAVING the heads on is my modus opperandi. DO clarify when I should remove them.

I prefer native plants on principle but I just don't like pink.

I've got Echinacea paradoxa in my want list because at least it's a native species rather than a hybrid. I'd be happy with ONLY that one if I could get enough of it.

I had some buy it died. I wanted it for the same reason but it seems like more of a wild flower. I like mine compact and tidy. LOL.
On my established plants I leave the seed heads on through the winter for the birds to eat. But the new ones need to focus on their roots.
Pica Bella is my strongest, the stems are very strong and flowers are very sturdy too. Mine is two feet tall and 18 inches wide.

For small first season plants say the kind you buy in a 3 or 4 inch pot, I let have one flower just because I can not resist .
For one gallon or larger I try to have no flowers from the beginning of Aug.
This is only for new plants not established ones.
Plus I would think you could make adjustments based on your zone. This area can have some very harsh Winters.

You really do have some bad winters, best to get an early start.

Something is eating my petals off the plants!! (any ideas??)

bunny?

Nothing that big. Maybe a grasshopper. LOL. I saw one in a photo I blew up. I sprayed with some neem oil spray last night. Wish me luck!

I've been seeing a lot of Japanese Beetle damage. But I have seen a lot of grasshoppers this year too.

Thank you! I have not seen any beetles in a few years. I think the finches eat them. I need to get rid of these grass hoppers before they take over. I read that the neem oil would get rid of them. I will spray again today, hope this works....

I put coneflowers in the love-hate thread. I love them but have all sorts of trouble with them. In Minnesota we had an epidemic of aster yellows a couple years ago, and I got rid of the few I had left. I had Magnus and Bravado, and one called 'Hot Summer' that I can no longer find. It had flowers that changed color as they opened and matured-very cool. So the next year I found a cultivar that I like and that does well for me-- Raspberry Truffle. Also Primadonna White (very fragrant). I absolutely have to use Repellex tablets or the rabbits will eat them down to nothing. Today I bought a Cheyenne Spirit for a new area that I am going to establish in the narrow strip along the south side of my house. It will go with sea holly, coreopsis, centranthus, penstemon, boltonia, and whatever else strikes my fancy. Getting rid of more lawn! But back to the echies, thank you for the posts and photos of Cheyenne Spirit. I am excited to plant it!