coneflower ( Echinacea ) have become widely popular in recent long time , although for a long time , they were nothing more than humble prairie flowers . With their large pinkish to royal flowers and long stems , coneflower look charming in a cottage garden , xeriscaped layer or wildflower planting .
The plants are stout in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9 , make them adaptable to almost every part of the country . They can be propagated from cum , cutting or sectionalisation and they require almost no care . The prime attract butterflies and bees to the garden in the summer and offer shelter and solid food to wildlife in the winter . How many plants can you say that about ?
Propagating Coneflowers
coneflower are widely available as nursery industrial plant , but you may also plant them from seed . Sow them right away in the garden in late spring or lead off them indoors four weeks before the last Robert Frost . They germinate best when tune temperatures range between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit . Sow the seed in a lightweight starting mix and cover them with a thin layer of the admixture . Keep the grunge evenly moist and transplant the new seedling when they stand 3 inches improbable .
you may also propagate coneflower by division . In fact , they become overcrowded and should be disunite every three to four year .
Growing Coneflowers
As prairie plants , coneflowers grow best in full sun , although they digest fond nuance . They are quite drought kind once they become establish , but water them at least weekly during the first growing season . They ’re also lie with for allow poor territory . Although this is true , the plants will develop and flower better if give a loam grease with moderate fertility . They do n’t tolerate enceinte , soggy grease and will develop rot tooth root disease . Amend impenetrable soils with compost and peat moss or grow coneflower in raised beds . prune back the stems after bloom to encourage a sizable expression , but leave a few over the wintertime for your brute booster . The plants will pronto self – sow if you leave a few come heads . Coneflowers do n’t need a good deal of fertilizer . lend oneself ¼ loving cup 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer per plant in the spring .
Diseases and Pests
Coneflowers are fairly disease and pest repellent , but they are inconvenience oneself by a few problem . In addition to rout rots , powdery mould is fairly usual , but seldom calamitous . Space the plants so melodic phrase circulates freely between them and habituate soaker hosiery instead of overhead sprinkler , which can spread disease .
aphid and leafhopper are the most common insect blighter . Both damage the plants by fellate the juices from the leave-taking and stem , causing the plant to droop . leafhopper can also carry aster yellows , a serious plant disease . Wash these pestilence off with a firm watercourse of water or spray all parts of the plants with insecticidal goop or crude oil . Make applications on cool , cloudy days because these products can burn plants if applied during raging , sunny weather .
Varieties
Visit your local nursery or online catalog and you ’ll find legion varieties , include some with blank , red , yellow or peach bloom . Below are a few of our favourite :
“ Magnus . ” Named the 1998 Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association , Magnus grow 3 feet magniloquent and has broad , rosiness - hued bloom of youth .
For a thick variety , try “ Kim ’s Knee High , ” which produces royal to pink flowers .
“ Tiki Torch ” is a hybrid variety with orangish petals .
“ White Swan ” uprise 3 feet tall and bring forth lovely white-hot bloom . The sturdy stems make this an fantabulous cut flower .
The Big Sky serial is a group of intercrossed selections that number in several colors . These plants do not digest tight , poor soils . Big Sky “ Sunrise ” create yellow-bellied blooms ; Big Sky “ Summer Sky ” has spill the beans color flowers with a roseate glory near the center .
For more data chitchat the follow links :
Echinacea purpureafrom the Missouri Botanical Garden
Echinaceafrom Clemson University Cooperative Extension
Julie Christensen read about gardening on her grandfather ’s farm and mother ’s vegetable garden in southern Idaho . Today , she lives and gardens on the high plains of Colorado . When she ’s not digging in the grime , Julie publish about solid food , education , parenting and horticulture .
