Used to like echinacea

16 years ago

It seems like a high percentage of the posts on this forum are about problems with various echinacias. I used to think they were trouble free, drought tolerant mainstays of every midwest garden.

I have Mangus and White Swan. These clumps are 3 years old.

How did they get the reputation for drought tolerance? Mangus melts in my garden if it doesn't get its weekly water. Now the Japanese beetles have discovered they like the petals on both. (The earwigs always liked them.) Next year I'm replacing all coneflowers with phlox, heliopsis, helanthus, ratibida, or rudbeckia.

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Comments (7)

tracey_nj6
16 years ago
To each his own, I guess. I'm currently in a phase of not having enough echinacea, although that's really not the case. Since the butterflies and hummers can't seem to get enough of them either, they'll always be in my beds...
tepelus
16 years ago
Never had a problem with them, they self-seed quite regularly for me, but I have the old fashioned purple ones, not a fancy hybrid, so that there probably contributes to its hardiness and willingness to self-seed.
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The previous echinacea thread got bogged down in dogeral. This is a great time of year to make an echinacea tincture from the fresh plant. ANY type of echinacea will make a great tincture, even the hoity toity fluff head garden hybrids. To make a tincture: Take a pint size mason jar & pop in two newly opened blooms, then fill it with 80 proof vodka. Cap & store in a dark place for a week or until the flowers turn pale. Uncap, strain or fish out the flowers and pop in another two flowers heads, recap & store again. I do this three or four times-- it turns brown. Tastes wretched but works like a dream. Wine is more palatable; some people prefer brandy as the base. If you don't like alcohol, you can use glycerin or vinegar because the components in echinacea are water soluble (which is why you don't have to use grain or really high proofs of alcohol-- just enough to preserve it). Cut the glycerin 1 part water to 2 parts glycerin to keep it preserved. Vinegar can be used straight. (THAT really does a sucker punch on your saliva ducts & is best taken with a bit of honey as well). If you prefer to use the roots, wait until the tops die back & dig them up-- this of course may be late late in fall or early winter depending on where you live. They are very thready, which is why you "wait" for 3 year plants. You don't get much out of one plant. Clean them off (just wash them--don't scrape them to bits), let them dry out for a day and chop them into your preferred method of preservation. Tincture for six weeks before using.
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I grow many companion plants and echinacea is an easy to grow favorite. Sure it reseeds, and most times I transplant those seedlings where they are needed. They are a wonderful filler, weaver, backdrop, and pair beautifully with myriad coreopsis, which I grow, and good ol' rudbeckia Indian Summer, a prolific reseeder itself. These humble plants fit in well with other more "refined" perennials and annuals, and all make fine companions to roses. Another favorite is the aforementioned Jupiter's Beard which is not an aggressive pest in these parts, but does reseed. Here are some favorite coreopsis and coneflowers. Diane
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justmetoo
16 years ago
I've had Mangus and White Swan for around twelve years, never had a problem with these two. I do water them once in a while, not often, usually only when prolonged heat with zilch rain. They have a tendency to droop their little heads and whine ( actually defend themselves) when the moisture levels are really low and the sun is beaming. Little Praying Mantis are staked out on mine this year, don't know what they are hunting, but have not had any damage from insects.

If you go with Rudbeckia, you'll find them to have a few problems also occasionaly , but like you said these are all mainstays of the midwest garden.
entling
16 years ago
I know Ecinaceas are common as dirt around here, but they really are workhorses. I've got some planted in part shade & they bloom when nothing else will. I refuse to baby mine, no fertiziler, no mulch, no extra water. I have to make sure I deadhead them before they go to seed, or I'll be pulling Ecinacea seedlings all the next summer. I do leave a few for the goldfinches. I started off with some White Flower Farm plants & a couple of local 1s from the native plant group here. Now, I have some hybrid of the 2, & they're virtually indestructable.
lindac
16 years ago
No matter what cast iron plant you suggest, there are people who will have some sort of a problem with it....
The cone flowers in my garden are worry free.
If you don't believe me, look at the people having trouble with astilbe and hosta.
If you substitute phlox for echinacea, they will get mildew, the helianthus will grow too tall and fall over, something will eat the petals on the ratabida and the rudbekia will reseed all over.
It's always something with a garden.
Linda C
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
16 years ago
Even here in the sunny South, echinacea is a dominant flower in my garden beds. It has been thriving in my clay soils, in the middle of a drought. Naturally, it gets occasional watering if it doesn't rain. I'd consider it to be exceedingly productive and easy to grow.

We enjoy all of those goldfinches, too! They are so pretty, flitting all over the place.
cnid
16 years ago
Weird, isn't it? I can't water regularly and it has been SO dry each summer since I moved here (8 years now). So plants truly have to be drought tolerant and echinacea have been a star for me. They don't self-seed excessively but enough that I have plants for new spots or friends. I have Magnus and White Swan as mainstays. I currently LOVE E. paradoxa and E. pallida although they are taking a while to get going. Sprung for a $25 "Sunset" 2 years ago - learned my lesson. It is okay, a bit small, but not worth that money. Quite content with my old-fashioned ones. Wish I could make them work for you, bean counter. They really are wonderful.

Used to like echinacea

Comments (7)

tracey_nj6

tepelus

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justmetoo

entling

lindac

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

cnid

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