Here is an easy to understand guide for echinacea http://www.gardenguides.com/articles/coneflower.htm I really recommend you cut the root up before drying... you will need a hacksaw to cut it up when dried! :o) for contraindications http://www.herbmed.org/Herbs/Herb6.htm I know it stops working after like 8 days, so really short term is all that is needed.

Well..if you trim the huge ones they will be shrubbyier.If were planted close I imagine could grow as hedge if that was an a idea.They all grow a lil different and also depends on the soil.the richer& moisture the better it is. I don't have any grown together,but have thought about it.I have a few stand alones,but most are like a backbone stuck here& here& there.I had one grow 10 ft this year....and next year I'll keep that one shrubby.The 1st yr hubby "accidently" topped it in half when it was just reaching 2 ft.I actually liked the way it grew that way better.It had alot more flowers,but we were dryer this year also.

Even though I said "2" I think the really honest answer would be that I was addicted before I bought even one because I found this forum and was blown away by all your gardens and those of a couple we have lost since then. I don't share much because my gardens don't hold a candle to others here-for example, almost every hosta I planted on our hill has been washed away with the rains this year, along with the mulch and much of the soil. I always seem to be trying to repair and replace all the failures. At least I am doing my part to keep all our nursery friends (the Boyz at Naylor Creek, Hallsons, NH Hosta, etc.) in the black.

Nope, we were in a coastal town and within a 5 minute drive to the beach. Lots of ocean breeze, but still its hot all year round. Yes, Michigan has humidity and heat too, and yes it can be miserable to be in but it’s not in the 90’s or 100’s year round and we do reap benefits from that humidity like lots of rain (as opposed to droughts). Lawns are lush and healthy, plants and trees alike thrive here. It also never gets so hot that you can fry an egg on the hood of your car. Then there are the thunderstorms. When the humidity peaks, they come in for a quick shower to cool things down. Open the windows and that breeze with it’s smell of the rain is heaven. Say what you will Elmer, but as far as I’m concerned there is really no comparison. I’ll take Michigan’s summer of months of humidity along with it’s snow and ice in the winter over that dry relentless heat any day. I don’t miss it at all. LOL Forgot to add, I’m in one of those suburbs too, about 45 miles north of Detroit. When it comes to snow, it’s the perfect spot because we’re too low for the northern squalls and far enough north to miss the Ohio Valley Blizzards. We usually don’t get more than 6 inches at a time during the season. We live on a hill and the AWD on our SUV’s has no problem driving threw it, but the views are beautiful.