Coneflowers (botanical name *Echinacea*) are usually labeled as super hardy perennials. This usually means they can breeze through a typical winter without breaking a sweat. However, you’ll want to look a little closer before you plant, because not all varieties handle the cold the same way.
Hardiness
For most of us, the biggest factor in whether a plant makes it to spring is just how low the thermometer drops. Of course, exactly how cold it gets at your specific coneflower planting site changes from year to year and depends on your local microclimate. To make things easier, we use USDA Plant Hardiness Zones to figure out which plants can handle the average minimum temperatures in our neck of the woods.
Since this system originated right here in the U.S., the temperature ranges are based on nice, round numbers in Fahrenheit, which is why the Celsius conversions often look a bit specific!
Hardiness Zones for Germany and Austria
Just for comparison, here is how the zones break down across Germany and Austria:
In Germany:
- Zone 6: down to -10°F (-23.3°C)
- Zone 7: down to 0°F (-17.7°C)
- Zone 8: down to 10°F (-12.3°C) (mostly around Lake Constance and Koblenz)
In Austria:
- Zone 5: down to -20°F (-28.8°C)
- Zone 6: down to -10°F (-23.3°C)
- Zone 7: down to 0°F (-17.7°C)
Coneflowers
When it comes to Echinacea, most varieties fall between Zones 3 and 5. You’ll usually find the toughest ratings (Zone 3) among the original native species like *E. angustifolia*, *E. pallida*, *E. paradoxa*, and *E. purpurea*. Keep in mind that these ratings apply to plants established in the ground. If you are overwintering coneflowers in pots or containers, they’ll definitely need some extra insulation or protection to survive the freeze.
Examples for Zone 4 (-30 to -20°F / -34.5 to -28.9°C)
- Echinacea Hybrid “Flame Tower”
- Echinacea Hybrid “Fragrant Angel”
- Echinacea Hybrid “Harvest Moon”
- Echinacea Hybrid “Hot Papaya”
Examples for Zone 5 (-20 to -10°F / -28.8 to -23.4°C)
- Echinacea pallida “Hula Dancer”
- Echinacea purpurea “Butterfly Kisses”
Examples for Zone 7 (0 to 10°F / -17.7 to -12.3°C)
- Echinacea purpurea “Alba”
- Echinacea purpurea “Avalanche”
- Echinacea purpurea “Cheyenne Spirit”
- Echinacea purpurea “Daydream”
- Echinacea purpurea “Doppeldecker”
- Echinacea purpurea “Eccentric”
- Echinacea purpurea “Green Jewel”
- Echinacea purpurea “Hot Lava”
- Echinacea purpurea “Irresistible”
- Echinacea purpurea “Leuchtstern”
- Echinacea purpurea “Magnus”
- Echinacea purpurea “Now Cheesier”
- Echinacea purpurea “Rubinstein”
- Echinacea purpurea “White Meditation”
