Did a dog or deer empty their bladder on it? Has anyone been spraying herbicides that may have drifted onto the Echinacea? No bugs, especially aphids? Those would be my first guesses.

Martha

No dogs here but I can't vouch for where the deer might have peed. There were deer tracks right next to it. The thing is I have seen this last year with one other echinacea in the front of the house where I know deer definitely don't go. No sign of insects.

Try to gently uncover this piece beneath the soil to check for a black fungus down on the stem.
Alternatives: rotten roots, a larva eating the roots.

dont you have a perfect lawn.. is it sprayed with weed killers and fert????

chem drift???

yeah.. it can hit one plant ...

ken

Ken,
I can't tell whether you are being serious or not. Obviously, if someone sprayed a field with chemicals, it wouldn't drift and hit one plant. But I've slipped up with those pump sprayers when I'm over zealous going after the patches of Creeping Charlie. Sorry I wasn't more precise.

Martha

I think Ken is being serious, and I think its a possibility but its not a border plant and those on the border are not affected at all so seems unlikely. Nevertheless, I did wash the plant down for several minutes. I doubt the roots are rotting, its a dryish spot with root competition from a crimson sentry maple tree. Bugs and fungus I have not ruled out completely, will do more digging in the morning.

Well after a soaking the whole plant twice with water over the last few days, it seems to be slowly recovering. I think I will likely go with the deer pee/ floating herbicide as the most likely explanation. Thanks all.