Echinacea purpurea |
Native Region: Canadian Prairies
Zone Range: 3-9
Preferred Climate: Full to semi sun; well draining dryish soil rich in organic matter.
Harvest Date: Tuesday 13 October, 2009
Seed count: 30-40
Description:
Well known for its bold purple flowers and its central cone of bronze spikes with golden tips. Durable single blooms on 80 cm stems arise from a basal clump of attractive dark green deeply veined leaves that have a coarse feel due to tiny hook like hairs. Attracts a variety of nectar and pollen seekers. Ideal for cut flowers. Woody roots can be split to create more plants when dormant.
Notes:
Seed is from plants grown from seed collected from wild stands in Alberta by James Bowick of the 'The Conservancy', a fantastic seed company which went out of business in 2000. Used extensively as a medicinal.
Cultivation:
Easy to grow. Sow by inserting the narrow tapered end into the tamped medium surface. Seed has a natural bullet shape so this narrow tapered end is easy to distinguish from the flat end. When sown, cover the flat ends with 5 mm of sand based medium. Keep moist; success greater with plastic cover. Optimum germination temp: 15-22 C. Days to germiation: 7-21. Sow thinly. Prick out seedlings and transplant to individual containers when at the 4-5 true leaf stage. Transplant out after danger of frost has past.
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