I've got leggy, floppy cone flowers!!?

Question:We have 2 cone flower plants in our front flower bed, which gets southern exposure. They are VERY tall, and VERY floppy. I see other people's cone flowers and they shorter and they don't flop over. Is there something I should be doing to keep them from getting so tall and floppy?

Answers:
Cone flowers, or echinacea plants like full sun. If your southern exposure doesn't have full sun for at least half of the day, then your plants will be leggy and flop over, just like mine do. The plants grow really tall to stretch up and try for more light.
You can try placing a wire cage around them (like a tomato cage) or two unobtrusive dark colored stakes (one on each side of the plant) and wrap string around the bunch of stems so they stand upright.
Also, make sure any fertilizer you're using is designed for blossom production, not leaf or root stimulation. MiracleGro makes a great blossom enhancing fertilizer.