echinacea 'purpurea' seeds
Makes for a superb sight in clumps of purple blooms growing to 90cm+ They are a real zinger for the bumblebees and butterflies and love a good drought... if we ever have one in England! Enjoy in the garden beds or as cut flowers in the house.
BOTANICAL NAME
Echinacea purpurea
NICKNAME
purple coneflower
black samson
hedgehog coneflower
purple daisy
eastern purple coneflower
Rudbeckia echinacea
QUANTITY
100 seeds
PLANT SIZE
Height: 150cm
Width: 50cm
CONTAINER SIZE
45cm width
SOWING
Indoor: Jan-Jun
Outdoor: Apr-Jun
GROW TIME
Germination: 10-20 days
Flowers reliably after its first year
SPROUT SECRETS
Some experts believe to get the best bloom, once sown, chill the seeds for a few weeks in the fridge or a cold shed before bringing out and planting somewhere sunny.
SPACING
Sow: 3cm apart
Plant: 50cm apart
WHAT ECHINACEA LOVE
Light: Partial shade, full sun
Soil: Well-drained
Water: Regular, not to dry out
Food: Spread rich compost over winter
COMPANION PLANTS
Lavender + Lupins
OUR TIPS
Start sowing in late winter inside and set out seedlings after frost the last frost has passed. In autumn, you can divide the plants at the root and place in pots.
BRINGS TO YOUR GARDEN
Pollinators
Makes the bees happy
Long-lasting summer blooms
Great for height
HARVESTING
Cut flowers regularly to extend the flowering season.
MAKES FOR GREAT...
Cut flowers for a vase
Bursts of colour in your garden.
HEALTH BENEFITS
Echinacea is best known for its supposed ability to relieve colds and flu-like infections and for helping to shorten the duration of such illnesses from its immune-boosting qualities.