Coneflower is traditionally grown as an herbal medicine. It is used to treat mastitis , abscesses , colds , cystitis , diverticulitis , earache , eye infection , flu , hayfever , sore throat , and wounds . It is an indispensable plant in any herbalist's garden. As an added bonus, it also attracts butterflies. More Than Just a Pretty Flower .
Coneflowers grow best in a dry soil supplemented with leaf mold or compost.
Choose a location in full sun or light shade. Sow seeds directly outdoors or start indoors in flats in a mixture of soil, peat moss and sand for transplanting outside in the spring or fall. Plants may also be propagated from root cuttings or clump divisions in the spring or fall. Plants reseed themselve readily. Set plants 18 to 24 inches apart.