I have my Tennessee Coneflowers at the edge of a coneflower bed with tons of other Echinaceas. They do cross pollinate. The original plants aren't harmed in this at all. I plant seeds of the cross-pollinated plants and you can get some very interesting plants this way. I have one that looks just like a Tennessee coneflower, but with larger blooms. However, most of the plants look like a regular purple coneflower with blooms similar to the Tennessee coneflower.

If you want to save seeds of your Tennessee Coneflowers you will need to keep them away from the other plants, however. These aren't exactly rare anymore. You can get seeds so easily online at tons of places. I've had mine for several years and they get better every year.

Can't speak for coneflowers since I gave up on those ages ago.

As for phlox, the key is deadheading the spent blooms. New sprouts from fallen seed will often not come true - and you end up with a new crop of plants, usually in various shades of lavender. If the new colors are pleasing to you, leave them. Otherwise, dig or pull up and remember to deadhead spent blooms.

if you want to maintain a specific plant... perhaps due to a color scheme.. then you must not allow seeds to fall .. since genetics of most plants indicate that they will not come true from seed ....

you must buy the named plant.. or the seed or cross that makes the seed for the named plant ...

if you want a carefree bed of basically wild plants.. let them do there do their thing.. and revel in the diversity ...

your problem is that you want both goals .... define a better goal.. or clarify your goal .... and you will succeed ...

ken

Just to clarify...

Echinacea Tennesseensis is a species of Echinacea. As long as you don't have other species of Echinaceas with it, the seeds will be 100% true to Echinacea Tennesseensis.

Thanks everyone. I'm very happy with most of the volunteers in the garden. I don't cut back perennials until spring except the ones that get tattered or brown such as some of the salvias so I get a lot of reseeding. I have a few echinaceas including Tennessee coneflower, E. purpurea species, Magnus, Ruby Star, Sundown, Sunset, Sunrise, Summer Sky, White Swan, Kim's Knee High. I still really enjoy the purple coneflower species best with its huge cone and drooping petals. I won't worry about them crossing, they're already hopelessly mixed together already. I'm glad to know that Tennessee coneflower seed is readily available now so I won't obsess too much about its survival. I can always plant more, especially if the rabbits have their way with my new pocket prairie bed!

The phlox crosses are new to me this year. I didn't really expand my varieties until recently and didn't notice the seedlings. I don't mind the color variations but I don't really want to stake so the taller floppier ones will go. I do put up with some powdery mildew and do stake if the color is fantastic (I'm thinking of Nicky in particular). But a so-so plant won't fare as well. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the new dwarf varieties I planted this year will do. I have two of the "Cocktail" series, Pina Colada and Cosmopolitan, and one of the Flame series, Flame Violet. My Jr Dance is declining unfortunately but I like the color. I am fond of Blue Paradise but it doesn't seem very vigorous and isn't spreading as I'd like. Of course David is the best and I now have a good thick stand of it from the original 3 plants. I can't be without phlox in my garden.

I have phlox seedlings every spring, but I don't keep many of them due to space limitations. My named varieties are Franz Schubert, Nicky, David, Eva Cullum and Orange Perfection. I have two seedlings that I've kept - one came up in my plant of David and I divided it out and kept it. Here's a picture of it. I think it resembles Phlox Delta:

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I also have another seedling that is a bit brighter than Nicky, but the same color family. It came up near my Eva Cullum and it is very disease resistant. It will be blooming soon and I can post a picture of it then.

In my opinion, if you have the space, it's fun to keep phlox seedlings just to see what you get.

Linda