Talk to me about Echinacea

16 years ago

Okay, okay, don't laugh - I've never grown Echinacea.

For some reason I just had a hankering for some, I have a spot that needs a bit of a taller plant with summer blooms, and I decided that is what will fit the bill.

So, I bought 1 White Swan and 1 purple (not sure of the exact cultivar, no tag in it, but it looks to me like the regular 'ol purple coneflower that's been in pretty much every garden since the dawn of modern times).

My biggest question is do these need to be supported? They had hoops around them in the container, but am wondering if when in the ground they will need support. Any problems I should be on the lookout for?

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Comments (8)

aachenelf z5 Mpls
16 years ago
"Okay, okay, don't laugh - I've never grown Echinacea." - hehehehe - snicker, snicker, snicker

Just kidding. There are lots of things I don't have that everyone else does.

I've never found the need for support on Echinacea purpurea (I assume that's what you have) or the variety White Swan. For some reason my Swan died out on me years ago, but when I did have it it was shorter. Maybe mine was just odd.

The only Ech. I grow that does need support is Echinacea pallida. It grows very tall and does OK until the first strong storm - then FLOP. Still love it though.

Kevin
mxk3 z5b_MI
Original Author
16 years ago
"There are lots of things I don't have that everyone else does".

And there are a lot of things we have that noone else does LOL! My circle of friends/family always does the same 'ol same 'ol and I get oohs and aaahs over stuff that any fool could grow, they think it is some sort of exotic because they don't see much of it (brunnera, turtlehead, Chasmanthium, plumbago - the list goes on and on - all common stuff to us, but quite different to those used to just coneflower, rudbeckia, daylilies, sedum, and hosta LOL!)
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At least you are picking an easy one to attempt. I have done both plants and seeds and allow plants to naturally drop seeds every year as i feel the strong will survive and continue a good strain. I have good luck with "fatal attraction" although I suspected like many "new" varieties, it would have some bad manners. I used to work at a major greenhouse and tried every "new" variety that came off the trucks. Even some propagated by reliable growers have their quirks. Read up on the "bad" varieties before even bothering as they should not droop or wilt. They like good drainage and being grown lean and mean as we say. Additional water for the first year, make it deep watering to teach the roots to go deep like they do in the wild. I am growing both seeds and plants as we speak, I even had total germination from the dollar tree seeds at 10 for a dollar. White swan to be exact. You should have seen customers watching me dig through all the late season seeds and leave with over one hundred packs. I also love "Kim's knee high" in the original pink color. It is short and stout and has slightly fringed petals. A nice color and strong plant here despite horrible clay. I always prep the ground very well and actually remove the clay nearby the new transplant, I will backfill with some clay mixed in to better soil as not to shock the plant when it does reach the solid wall of clay as it matures. Have fun and don't give up , just remember lean and mean, don't kill them with love. That is about the only way to truly kill a coneflower. Doublenoodles
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justmetoo
16 years ago
I've never saw Echinacea sold with hoops around them, wonder if it had to do with caution for shipping. Anyway, the usual common sold are White Swan and Magnus and both will grow straight up and strong with some spread at the top. If given too little sunlight and too rich of soil then they can lean and/or get slightly floppy.

My neighbors are all so boring in landscape/gardening , I could fill my yard with ol' Stella and a few Autumn Joy and a couple hosta and they would all still stop and admire. They all have either next to nothing or the standard couple of foundation shrubs with a few annuals under them and the box store planter on their entrance way.
iheartroscoe
16 years ago
Kevin, I have the same problem with my White Swan. One never came back over winter and the one that did come back is about 12" high. I don't feel so bad now!

My other varieties are all about 3 feet high and never need staking, even where it's really windy.
gweirdo
16 years ago
Yes, I have had these flop over when not staked, and I think it has to do with rich soil & too much water making them vulnerable to wind. Last year I quit watering these almost entirely & did not experience this problem. The other option is to plant one or more of the dwarf selections, such as 'Kim's Knee High' or 'Little Giant', which are less prone to this problem.
entling
16 years ago
I have a lot of coneflowers in part shade (they put themselves there), & they tend to lean towards the light. If planted in full sun & not babied (no fertilizer!), they should not need staking. BTW I don't stake the coneflowers in partial shade, I just let them lean on their neighbors for support (there's a metaphor in there somewhere). They bloom well, providing color for a shade area that can be blah in Summer.
radagast
16 years ago
Based upon my experiences with growing Enchinacea in pots on a south-facing balcony, staking is highly recommended. However, on a balcony the plants are more exposed to wind and rain than if in a garden among other plants. My mom grows echinacea in a large flower bed, and the only ones that really need to be staked there are the ones near the edges.

Echinacea have strong flower stalks, but the flowers can become waterlogged in the rain and knocked around by the wind. So, aside from the effects of summer thunderstorms, most of them tend to remain upright.
magickiwi
16 years ago
I always put a tomato cage around my cone flowers - I have had them quite a while and the clumps are pretty large. I don't want to risk them falling over and they seem to like the help! (If they fall over they could hurt me!) The dopey deer like to knock them over as they sneak thru the yard - they are so clumsy! When we have the annual perennial swap in the park in Wayland (Sept 8th this year) someone always brings some echinacea along and they get snapped up quickly. I do have to watch for the gold finches and chickadees as they have a race with me to see who can grab the seeds first - I just scratch up the dirt around the clumps and shake the seeds there and the birds get what is left up on top! A friend just gave me three new varieties - one is yellow, one is peach and the third is deep pink. I hope they make it over the winter - they are so lovely! If they are half as nice as the white or purples I will love them!

Here is a link that might be useful: pics of past swaps plant size and quality

Talk to me about Echinacea

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aachenelf z5 Mpls

mxk3 z5b_MI
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Talk to me about Echinacea

Comments (8)

aachenelf z5 Mpls

mxk3 z5b_MIOriginal Author

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mxk3 z5b_MI
Original Author