Susan W
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1858
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 2:46 pm
Location: Memphis, TN

Echinacea, coneflower

I've been playing with the seed starting of various Echinacea aka coneflower, and trying to stay mostly eastern US. I have the purple, strain from a native patch (midwest). Also playing with E paradoxa, a yellow bloom, native to the Ozarks. The E tennesseenis. Native to TN, and Glade, E simulata, native to SE Missouri, on into TN.

I put a TN in ground last season, and it survived, about to bloom Yey! Today put a yellow and a glade in ground. We'll see! TN and Glade are not good sprouters. Purple fine, yellow fair. I do have an unknown about to bloom. It was in a seed packet with the native purple. As a start was on steroids, much bigger, and kept on that mode. It's in ground, lovely and tall, and I am watching for the buds to bust out!

User avatar
skiingjeff
Green Thumb
Posts: 383
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2012 4:22 pm
Location: Western Massachusetts Zone 6a

We started some last year and had good results with the normal purple variety (the type everyone has or gets). I also was trying to collect seeds from a pink echinacea that we bought and have a plant of in the yard. I didn't have as good a result getting anything to germinate for that one. :(

I'm going to try to gather seed again this year and try again - wish me luck! :)

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13961
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Good for you. I am still trying to get them to sprout.

Susan W
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1858
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 2:46 pm
Location: Memphis, TN

If your pink coneflower is a hybrid may not do much for you. If unsure or think it is true, try chilling the seeds. I use the 10 per peat pellet tray, plant that and put in veggie drawer for about 4 weeks.

User avatar
skiingjeff
Green Thumb
Posts: 383
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2012 4:22 pm
Location: Western Massachusetts Zone 6a

Thanks Susan! I'll give that a try with the seeds this year :)

User avatar
ElizabethB
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2105
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:53 am
Location: Lafayette, LA

Harvesting seeds from hybrids is fun as long as you do not expect to grow plants true to the parent.

Years ago Dad decided to propagate amaryllis from seed. It took 3 years for the plants to develop and bloom. The parent was a bright red, small bloom amaryllis commonly called "St. Joseph's Lily".

When Dad's plants bloomed he had a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. None were red but some were pink with bright red stripes others were white with pink stripes, white with red stripes, pink with white stripes, white with red margins, pink with red margins. All of the blooms were MUCH larger than the parent.

Whatever - when you plant seeds from hybrids it is a box of chocolates - you never know what you are going to get.

Enjoy your experiments. Please post pictures of you results. I would love to see what you end up with..

Good luck

Lab_Man
Full Member
Posts: 45
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 10:03 pm
Location: Illinois, zone 5

Susan, what a timely thread. I just started one on the seed starting forum.

I had terrible success this year starting seeds from Echinacea and Rudbeckia this year. I had collected seed heads from several locations.
I planted 24 cells of 2 seeds each and didn't get one to germinate!

I knew there had to be a trick that I was missing.

Putting the cell in the refrigerator is brilliant!



Return to “Gardening with Native Plant Species”