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!
- skiingjeff
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- 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!
I'm going to try to gather seed again this year and try again - wish me luck!
- skiingjeff
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- Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2012 4:22 pm
- Location: Western Massachusetts Zone 6a
- ElizabethB
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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
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
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!
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!