Echinacea deadheading benefits - Ask Extension
This year I planted three different echinacea/cone flower plants for the first time in my garden. At this time, the flowers are spent, and only the de...
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Echinacea deadheading benefits #913723
Asked August 12, 2025, 11:39 AM EDT
This year I planted three different echinacea/cone flower plants for the first time in my garden. At this time, the flowers are spent, and only the deadhead flower remains on the stem. There is additional foliage at the base. I do not want the seeds from the cone flowers. Is it better to cut off the stem of the spent flower near the base to allow better growth and more sustainabilityof the main plant? Or …it makes no difference one way or the other whether I leave the spent bloom of the plant attached to the base OR cut it off at the base.. I want to do what’s so that the parent Plant makes it till next year.
Kent County Michigan
Expert Response
If you want the plant to look tidy, cut the spent stems back to the base. You can leave the spent blooms on the plant for the birds, they will eat the seeds. But if you don't like how they look, it's perfectly fine to cut them back to the base. The leaves that remain will provide the energy the plant needs to come back next spring.
After the first or second frost is it best to remove what remains of the plant above ground before winter comes or should I leave the dead/frozen plant till next spring? 
I like to leave the stems and spent flowers because I like the interest it brings to the garden in the winter. But sometimes, native bees will use the stems for nesting. See this article: https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2020/09/20/creating-habitat-for-stem-nesting-bees/#:~:text=Spring:,Spring:
