A herbaceous perennial plant with stunning pink/ purple flowers late into the Autumn. Echinacea is one of the more well-known and studied medicinal plants and because of overharvesting of wild populations has now become rare in the wild. The flowers are also beautiful in the garden and lovely as a cut flower.
Seed Sowing
Sow seeds in early spring, around February to March. Cold stratification of the seeds for a couple of weeks can improve the germination rate and speed. Otherwise seeds should generally germinate within 2 weeks.
Sow into modules and only cover very lightly with soil as seeds need light to germinate. It can also be direct sown outdoors in late spring.
Transplanting
Pot on and keep undercover once seedlings are established. Plant out after the last frost at 30 x 60cm spacing. Echinacea can also be grown in containers.
Plant Care
Keep the area weed-free and watered during hot spells. You can mulch around the plants to keep in moisture and prevent weeds but make sure not to cover the crown overwinter. Deadhead to prolong flowering. Echinacea prefers well-draining soil as roots can be damaged during wet winters. Stems may need support, especially in windy growing conditions.
Once established Echinacea usually thrives without much care and can be easily divided by the root once plants appear crowded to propagate more plants.
Challenges
Echinacea are generally easy to grow and free from most pests and diseases but can be vulnerable to slugs when the plants are young.
Harvest
Pick the flowers often to encourage more flowers to form; they will usually flower for around 10 weeks.
Ideally harvest the flowers in the morning when temperatures are low and plant water content is high. Plants will arrange better if left to sit in water for a few hours after cutting.
Culinary Ideas and Uses
All parts of the Echinacea plant have a plethora of beneficial medicinal properties, especially useful when aiming to boost the immune system.
The petals can be a great addition to salads, desserts, or ice cubes with their pop of colour.
Seed Saving
Harvest the individual flowers as they dry or whole plants once most of the flowers on the stem have dried. Lay out on a sheet to dry further and thresh by hand and winnow to clean the seeds.
Store in a cool, dark place.
Most popular Echinacea Seeds
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Echinacea (Organic)
£1.50 Add to basketEchinacea (Organic)
A herbaceous perennial plant with stunning pink/ purple flowers late into the Autumn. Echinacea is one of the more well-known and studied medicinal plants, and because of overharvesting of wild populations has now become rare in the wild. The flowers are also beautiful in the garden and lovely as a cut flower. It grows easily in this climate, although prefers a well-drained spot as the roots can get damaged in wet winters. The new spring growth is also very attractive to slugs and may need some additional protection.
(Approximate seed count – 30)
£1.50